Writing Hardship farm diaries

[Terdin]

I know that it's supposedly possible to complete a bundle item with different kinds of roe, and different qualities of other items, but I've never done that myself, and I'm letting Erica also have that idea that all the items must come from a single stack.

Summer 16
Woke up nauseous, then recalled I hadn't eaten at all yesterday. A couple of salmonberries stilled the worst of it. Then the crack of a nearby lightnig strike made me and Belle jump. Petted her until both of us calmed down, then went for the TV.

Weather forecast, windy. Luck somewhat good.

Gathered the bait on my way out. Just four pieces today. Wouldn't surprise me if Belle ate the fifth piece.

Saw from the stairs that the torch still flickered on the sprinkler. That part at least worked as intended. Turned my attention to the machinery, then noticed that I had mail.

One letter from Linus, about how to cut various fish and shellfish to make sashimi, and again making me wish I had a kitchen.

The other letter from Clint, with a recipe for algae soup, which I wasn't as sure I wanted to make.

The shipping bin had just 31 G in it. Had I only shipped that periwinkle? Apparently it wasn't worth selling.

One crayfish and two snails today though, which had to be more valuable, at least the crayfish. Harvested hops, summer squash, tomatoes, and most welcome of all, a poppy. The crab pot catches went into the shipping bin, most of the crops into storage, and the poppy remaining in my backpack. Made sure I had my fishing rod, the sword, and the hoe with me.

Was about to head to the community center when a thought struck me. Did Marnie really go to that workout group when it rained, or did she stay at home? Would she be willing to sell chickens to me on a day like this?

I ran south, and reached Marnie's shop not long after she'd unlocked the front door.

She stood behind the counter. "Oh no... You're soaked, poor girl."

"I'll survive. Have you any chickens to sell me?" I asked.

She brought over a small yellow chick. "Some of the eggs hatched sooner than I thought they would. 800 G and it's yours. I've also got some brown chicks. While most chickens lay plain white eggs, brown chickens lay brown eggs. Just don't mistake them for chocolate eggs or you'll be disappointed."

"Could I get a brown chick too? I can afford one of each."

She did so, and I paid for them.

"You've got some name in mind for them?" Marnie asked.

"Hmm... I think I'll name the white one Ayame, and the brown one's Ina."

She got a cardboard carrying box for me. "Make sure to pet them daily, and let them out on sunny days. They'll be happier. If they get really happy they'll lay bigger eggs. Mayonnaise made from bigger eggs is usually of better quality than what you can make from small eggs. They should be old enough to start laying before the end of the week. And it's a good thing you wanted to buy two, as they don't like to be alone."

"Thanks for the advice. Are there other birds or animals I can keep in a coop?"

"Ducks and rabbits, but they require more space than what you get in a basic-sized coop, especially rabbits. Come back when you've had Robin expand your coop. Or if you build a barn and want a cow or two."

"I will," I promised. "Now, I'd better get these two to their new home and make sure they're well cared for."

Took it easier on my way home, not wanting to jolt the carrying box too much. As I let my chicks out in the coop, I made sure to pet them. Left the chicken door closed so they'd learn that this was their new home. They could start exploring their surroundings tomorrow. Hopefully Belle wouldn't think they were dinner before they were big enough.

Met no-one on my way to the community center, thanks to the rain. Added the poppy to the Chef bundle and briefly considered going to see if I could pay off one of the vault bundles. But as I recalled, the lowest had been 2500 G, which was more than I had in my wallet after buying the chickens. I sighed, then left for the mountain lake.

The sturgeon were biting more often with the targeted bait, and for some reason seemed a bit easier to catch too, unless it was because I expected the bite to be a sturgeon and not something that was a lot easier. With the fourth sturgeon I caught, I even got a treasure chest, one containing two sturgeon roe and some kind of old bones that might once have been a tail. I put away the roe in my mountain fishing chest.

When I ran out of sturgeon bait I'd caught seven sturgeons, and two chub, and lost two sturgeons. I ate one of the chubs, then kept fishing for a while longer with deluxe bait. Once my backpack was full, I gave up, even though it wasn't dark yet. A bullhead that gave me roe, some iron ore, and a lost book, was what ended my fishing trip. I put away half of the sturgeons in the fishing chest, in case I wanted to make one or more fish ponds to get sturgeon roe. The bullhead roe also went into the chest.

Closing the lid, I sighed. It would take quite some time to get enough of any one kind of roe to hand over to the Junimo if I relied only on fishing. I ate another chub before going downtown, reminding myself that I had to eat more.

There was a help wanted quest. Evelyn wanted green algae for her soup, paying 45 G. Not much, but I went over to their house and found Evelyn in the kitchen.

"Oh, thank you. Just in time too." Evelyn put the algae on her cutting board.

"No problem, Granny," I said.

She wiped her hands, then rummaged in her apron pocket. "Here. And something extra for your trouble on such a rainy day, dear."

My eyebrows rose as she handed me a prize ticket along with the reward envelope. "Thank you."

I went to see how George was doing. As so often, he had parked his wheelchair in front of the TV.

"Hello, George."

His initial response was an annoyed grunt, before he decided to gripe about the weather. "It's awful cold, isn't it? What a rotten day." He looked me up and down. "You seem like you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I'm soaked, but I did have some luck when I went fishing, so it's not that bad. At least tomorrow should be mostly sunny."

George shook his head and turned up the sound of the TV. I took the hint and left.

I found Alex beside the dog pen.

"Your dog?" I asked, even though the dog was hiding in its cardboard box. I tried to recall if I'd asked him that earlier.

"Yeah, but my grandparents won't have him indoors, not even on days like this. Grandpa is allergic to dogs and his health..." Alex' voice trailed off.

"Is bad enough as it is," I guessed.

Alex nodded. "Yeah..."

"Your grandmother is almost done cooking dinner," I told him before heading for the Saloon.

Leah was there, but not Elliot. Though with how much care he seemed to put into his appearance, I understood that he didn't want to look like someone threw a bucket of water over him. Leah, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered by the rain.

"Hello," she responded to my greeting. "I heard you bought some chickens this morning. The sound of farm animals is great, isn't it? I love the sound of Marnie's cows."

"The chickens are just chicks right now," I said. "But they're cute, cheeping to each other. I look forward to when they grow up enough to be able to lay eggs."

"You got chickens?" Gus asked from behind me. "You can cook a lot of tasty meals with eggs."

I turned to face him. "I know. I see The Queen of Sauce regularly, and I'd love to try making an omelet with her recipe. Though I'll need to get milk for it, so I have to get a barn and a cow... and, of course, a kitchen."

"I have a really good omelet recipe too," Gus said. "Though it is quite different from hers, and it's not often I can secure all the ingredients. Maybe I'll be able to let you have a taste of it when I do."

"Chickens... bah!" Pam said. "Useless little featherballs. You should get yourself some hogs, kid. The truffles they can sniff out for you are real money makers." She turned her attention to her mug, then asked Gus to fill it up again.

"Oh yeah, truffles are so nice grated over some pasta, or into a sauce," Leah agreed. "Really elevates the flavor." She had a dreamy look on her face when I turned to her.

"I hope to be able to get some at some point," I said, then went to see how Shane was doing.

"You went and bought some chickens?" he asked before I could say anything, revealing that he'd overheard our discussion. "You'd better take good care of them."

"I will," I promised. "I made sure they had food available, and will let them outside tomorrow."

"How big's their pen?" Shane asked sharply.

"What? Why do you ask?"

He frowned, mouth setting in a determined line. "They need more space than you'd think. So again, how big is their pen?"

"I figure the cliffs are enough of a fence for them, just like they were for the animals Grandpa kept, even if I am planning on lining the edge of said cliff with lightning rods and tea bushes to avoid accidents."

"You'll keep them free-range?" His face softened for a moment. "You'd better not be lying to me in an attempt to make me feel better," he said then, grumpiness returning.

"You could see for yourself if you ever care to visit," I offered. "You don't need me there to show you around."

Emily leaned closer. "It seems to me that you too will have some chicken stories to tell soon enough."

"We'll see about that. With everything I've got going on, it might be just a minor part. Had a sizeable haul of fish after I got the chicks settled in."

"Caught any more sturgeons, lass?" Willy asked behind me, and I turned to face him.

"Several. Even one that had roe. I know I bought that eel bait early in Spring, but I kinda forgot how much of a difference the right kind of bait makes. Made a bait maker yesterday evening."

"That should make things easier for ye. Just put the fish ye wan' to catch more of in it and..." Willy clapped his hands together.

"Sounds like their favorite food is their own kind," I said.

Willy nodded sagely. "That's often the case wi' fish."

I left, figuring I should give that "really tricky" fish at the beach a go. Changed my mind when I remembered that my backpack was already full, and went to the town fishing chest first to unload some of my haul. It delayed me enough that I met Clint near Mayor Lewis' house. He walked slower than usual.

"How are you?" I asked him.

"Oh... Blessed rain... Be glad you're a farmer, Erica. It's nicer to work outdoors than by a hot furnace every day."

"Especially in summer, I guess. I expect it to be the other way around in winter."

It made him pause. "I guess so, but I'm not sure there's all that much that grows in winter."

"I can make seeds for winter forageables, so yes, I can grow crops in winter."

"You know, I'm only a blacksmith because my father pushed me into it," Clint said.

"You'd rather be a full-time adventurer like Marlon? Or maybe a more modern job? Though with most modern types of jobs, you'd have to give up being your own boss."

He stroked his beard as he considered it. "Maybe my job isn't as bad as I thought." He spotted me shifting my grip on the fishing rod. "Going fishing?"

I merely nodded and waved farewell.

"Let's see. Pier by the..." I got out my hoe at the sight of a dig spot, unearthing some kind of dried-out starfish, then continued to the bridge to the tidal pools.

I spent a few hours fishing at the beach, catching multiple halibuts, additional trash and some seaweed, and occasionally getting a bite from something too tricky to catch. Eventually I caught it, or so I thought until I saw it. Some kind of purple sea cucumber. Somehow it didn't seem like something Willy would have any problems catching. Checking my watch, I gave up for the night.

Hurrying to my fishing chest, I stuffed the latest catch and the seaweed in there, and picked up most of the fish from the lake. Then took the shortcut through Jodi's garden and ran home.

Stuffed the fish into the shipping bin before tending to the recycling machine. No time for the furnaces, just in, hang my wet clothes to dry, and get into bed.

 

[Terdin]

Summer 17
Woke up with the feeling that there was a lot I had to remember. Got dressed as I tried to figure it out. Shouldn't be anything for the community center today. Better rod or bigger backpack had higher priority than the vault bundles. Help wanted? Oh, yes, I had got a prize ticket and should redeem it. Calendar? Was there someone having a birthday? There were those artifacts. Did I have any geode nodes in the quarry? Of course, the chickens too, and them first.

I turned on the TV as I finished. Weather forecast, rain. Luck, very good. Seemed like a good day for the mines. The Queen of Sauce re-run was one I had already seen.

Petted Belle on my way to the coop, and filled her bowl before recalling that I hadn't needed to do that. The chicks were a bit bigger now and had got used to walking. Less likely that Belle would think they were food. They got their attention from me before I let them out. Watching the three animals for a while until I was fairly certain that Belle wasn't interested in hunting the chicks.

Went down to water my crops, and found the sprinkler with the torch had still done what it should, and that the torch was still burning. Had I installed some magic in them? I ran to get the other two torches and placed them too on sprinklers, spreading them out a bit to maximize the lit area. Just summer squash and hops to harvest, and watered those plants that needed it.

Arranged my backpack for a trip to the mines once I'd dropped off the artifacts. Remembered to check the shipping bin, and stood staring at the sum. 6488 G. That got me to where I could buy that iridium fishing rod. As I was about to leave, I realized I hadn't gone to the quarry, but I'd rather have more time in the mine. Picked up some grapes at the bus stop instead.

Calendar first... Sam's birthday. I did have some Joja Cola in my town fishing chest. Then I noticed something tomorrow. The bookseller was supposed to make a visit. Okay, no fishing rod purchase before I'd seen if there were books I wanted. As unpleasant as the experience was, there could be books I wanted the benefits from.

Help wanted... Clint wanted 20 gold ore to inspect, with a reward of 500 G, and I could keep the ore afterwards. Sure, if I managed to find that many he could inspect them. No problem.

Down to my town fishing chest to get Sam's present, rummaging in the trash cans as I passed them, getting some cookies and a field snack along the way. Sam wasn't home... Oh, it was Wednesday, so he'd be at work. Sure, that meant entering JojaMart, which would probably annoy Morris since I wasn't there to shop or get a membership.

Prize ticket next. The 15 mixed flower seeds I got from it didn't really seem worth it, but the next item shown should be worth getting. Mystery boxes.

On my way to the Museum I spotted a dig spot along the path. One of the lost books, reminding me that it had been some time since I last read what I'd found. I handed in the ancient sword, starfish and the tailbones. As we went to put them up for display, Vincent and Jas came running to see what we had. Penny followed.

"No. Just because they are handling the items doesn't mean that either of you can do that too," Penny said.

"Awww. No fair!" Vincent complained.

"What kind of animal did that come from?" Jas asked.

Gunther laughed gently. "I'm not entirely certain, but I think it came from a kind of giant ground sloth that lived around here thousands of years ago."

"Did they get killed during one of the elemental wars?" Vincent asked.

"No, they died out long before then," Gunther said.

"Oooh..." both children said, amazed that something could be that old.

Someone tugged at my sleeve and I turned to find it was Vincent.

"Miss Erica. You're the one who's found all of these things, right? How did you find them?"

"I found some by digging in the ground, others snagged on my line when fishing, and the minerals come from paying Clint to break open the geodes I've found," I told him.

"I'm gonna dig too! And when I grow up, I'll learn to fish," he decided.

"If you do find something when digging, you need to be really careful when you get it out of the ground," I reminded him. "The more you can see of the item's original shape, the more it's worth. A bowl or plate that's just a bit chipped at the edge is a lot better than one that's in a hundred small sherds."

"Maybe I could find Mom a replacement for the plate I shattered last week." Vincent brightened at the prospect.

Gunther cleared his throat. "If you do find an old plate in the ground, Vincent, bring it to me first. It might be worth enough for you to buy a completely new plate for your mom."

"Okay!"

"If you want to become an archaeologist and dig up ancient items, you need to study to know what you've found," Penny told Vincent. "Jas, do you have any questions for Miss Erica?"

Jas gave me a worried look and shook her head, shy all over again.

"If you do come up with a question, you can ask me next time you see me, okay?" I told Jas. "Oh, and the chickens I bought from your aunt yesterday seems to like their new coop and getting to run around in the grass."

Her eyes widened, as if I'd answered her unspoken question. Penny herded her two charges back to their abandoned books.

I too went to the library section. The first of the new books I picked up talked about stardrop fruits, and that they could grant special powers in addition to being really delicious. But also that no-one knew where they came from, which probably meant that they were seedless, and thus impossible to grow.

The second book was about the game Prairie King. Not having played it, and finding out that it was an action game rather than an RPG, I looked up strategies for the first stage. There was also a mention about a possible prize for clearing the game, but I didn't have much time for videogames. Clearing the first stage would be enough of an accomplishment for me and probably need several tries even after reading about it.

The third book was about diamonds and how they became slightly more common the deeper one went. I closed it and went for book 4, which was about brewing. I homed in on the line mentioning pale ale. So, all I needed was a keg. I had more than enough hops already for the pale ale Pam wanted.

The fifth and last book was about dwarves and theories about their origin. While interesting, it didn't provide any help towards learning to understand their language.

Gunther came around the corner of the bookshelf. "Oh? You brought in another of the books?" He took note of the title. "I've been hoping to get my hands on it, as it could help me figure out those scrolls you found. I hope you find the third and fourth scrolls soon. And the rest of the books, of course."

Leaving the museum I almost went for the mine cart before recalling that I had a gift for Sam. And Alex had arrived to open the ice cream stand.

"Won't you buy an ice cream?" Alex asked. "Sure, Haley always come by and buy one, and Penny and the children buys ice cream sometimes, but..." He threw up his hands in frustration.

Pursing my lips briefly, I got out the field snack I'd found. "You look like you need it."

Alex devoured the snack. "Mmm... Nuts. That hit the spot. Thanks."

"And I'd better get an ice cream. Got some hot work ahead of me, so I could use something to cool me down beforehand."

"Whoah... Hot as in..." Alex couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, but he blushed as he scooped up the ice cream.

"No, hot as in handling furnaces."

"Oh." He looked crestfallen.

"What did you say to Alex?" Haley asked from near the end of the bridge.

"He's just disappointed that my coming hot work involves furnaces rather than some kind of risque photoshoot." it seemed to appease her. I turned to Alex to pay the 250 G he demanded for the ice cream.

I ate my ice cream on the way to JojaMart. It was unlikely to survive in the mine, even if the backpack seemed to have a preservation spell on it, and I could use the energy boost for mining. The trash can near the mart gave me another field snack as I went to throw away the paper napkin Alex had wrapped around the cone.

Morris was busy talking to Pam when I entered JojaMart. Spotting Sam towards the back of the store, I went over to hand him his gift. "Happy Birthday," I told him in a low voice.

It made him smile. "You remembered my birthday. Wow, this is a nice gift. Thanks, Erica." He glanced around before putting the can inside his jacket.

Not wanting to risk getting cornered by Morris, I left. Pam was still talking, no, she'd gone on to arguing with Morris about whether some kind of return could or should be allowed.

Hurrying down to the mine cart, I was off to the mine, wanting at least five, but hopefully ten floors.

Floor 91
I began my search for the stairs immediately, but didn't get far in that as I had to try to fend off two shadow brutes at the same time, trying to not listen to the words as they talked about what to do with me. A bit further in, a rock proved to be a lava crab just as a lava bat flew in. The staircase the crab dropped, along with a crab and a bomb, was tempting, but I did have Clint's quest to consider, so I went further to search for gold nodes. A squid kid brought my hopes up, but it only dropped a solar essence. A bit further on I found two gold nodes, and a quartz, guarded by two of the helmet hermit crabs that the monster compendium in me insisted were called metal heads. The gave me a few headbutts before both of them were dead.
"Okay, book. I guess I will start calling them by their right name. Stop distracting me," I said out loud as I started breaking up the first node.
Before I reached the stairs, another lava bat attacked. Recalling that I needed to kill 200 bats I stayed to fight it.

Floor 92
This floor looked different than I remembered it. Were there different paths down? I followed the mine cart rails warily, but there were no signs of monsters, and no gold nodes. Just a quartz halfway along the track. A mine cart containing six lumps of coal was at the end of it, with a stair near it.

Floor 93
The two slimes I had to take down before I could start searching for the stairs were almost a relief to fight, even though their attacks burned me severely enough that I had to eat the trashcan cookies to recover afterwards. An amethyst node gave me a pair of gems, then the next revealed the stairs. I didn't take them immediately, as I'd spotted five gold nodes clustered off to the side. I then got further sidetracked by a shadow shaman that started chanting, and managed to take it down before it could cast its spell on me. I tested out the bomb to break the gold nodes and just barely managing to escape the blast zone. It was real easy to gather the gold ore afterwards.

The void essences the void spirits seemed to drop all the time no matter what else they proved to have were kinda disturbing. Was it that they'd gone dormant and could break out of my backpack or the chest if the conditions were right? Shaking my head to dislodge those thoughts I went for the stairs.

Floor 94
I had to fight a few slimes as I tried to locate the stairs, getting several magma geodes and an omni geode. Three gold nodes too, getting me the last of the gold ore needed for Clint. Then I saw the stairs. Out in the open, with a metal head and a squid kid that seemed to guard it. Both of them only dropping solar essences.

Floor 95
I had thoughts of just going up and talk to Clint after I'd explored the floor, but the first rock I broke revealed the stairs, so I decided to tough it out. I should have enough time to reach floor 100 unless my luck changed. A while later I found a lava crab. Then, when I broke a barrel, I found it had contained a shirt. But not a worn and sweat-stained shirt that might've been used by one of the miners in days of old. It seemed new, apart from some dust and ash, and it was my size too. A bright red shirt reinforced where the backpack straps would be. How was it even possible for a new shirt my size to be here?
Still pondering this find, I went and took the stairs.

Floor 96
I encountered a shadow shaman shortly after entering the floor. It managed to get away one spell before I could reach it, but its spell struck one of the rocks instead. A while further into the floor was a node with greenish crystals jutting out, dropping emeralds. Two more gold nodes too, and then I located the stairs under a rock. An ordinary rock that dropped a gold ore and a piece of coal.

Floor 97
A shadow brute, and a shadow shaman. Feeling that I only had to try to avoid the shaman's spell, I focused on the brute that was the bigger threat. The shaman started chanting something different than I had heard before, then the brute replied with a "thanks". Did those shamans have healing spells too? It was unfair. I did my best to intensify my attacks on the brute, but my arms wouldn't obey. At least it only took about two more hits than usual to take down the brute. The shaman went down a lot quicker. A couple of bats attacked as I searched for gold nodes, and one of them dropped a staircase. Hearing the voice of another void spirit further away, I went down.

Floor 98
There were rails here too. I followed it cautiously, breaking stones as I went. Then I spotted the stairs out in the open near a quartz crystal. Hearing the voices of several void spirits, and seeing a shadow brute approaching, I ran for the stairs.

Floor 99
As soon as I saw it, I recalled the layout from the two earlier times I'd seen it. A spiral path, leading to a room that might be full of barrels and boxes. I hoped to find the stairs well before then. Breaking rocks and one gold node, I had to pause for two bats, a lava crab, four slimes, and to eat the field snack I'd found outside JojaMart along with a couple of salmonberries. Broke more than 20 rocks before without finding the stairs. Around the second corner I encountered a squid kid that dropped squid ink and a staircase.

Floor 100
The heat was more intense here, coming from the pool of lava. The stifling air made it difficult to breathe. Then I reconsidered at realizing that the humidity was what made the air stifling. The pool had to be discolored from minerals, and its surface was steaming.
The treasure chest attracted my attention then. Having recently cleared a space in my backpack, I went for it. Inside was a strange purple fruit, star-shaped. Was this the stardrop I'd read about this morning? I wasted no time in eating it. For whatever reason it brought back memories of Tea, my girlfriend in high school. Her full name had been Theodora, but the only ones using her full name were the teachers. Her perfume... I'd never smelled it anywhere else, but here it was, locked in the juicy fruit. Our relationship had lasted for all of six months, the last six months before graduating. Then we'd drifted apart.
Recovering from my reminiscing, I realized two things. My muscles felt like I'd barely started my day, and started it with more energy than I'd ever had. The other was that it was late and I had to hurry if I wanted to get home in time. I stifled a yawn as I went for the elevator.

I briefly transferred a few things between backpack and chest, trying to make sure to bring home what I needed, and put the surplus gold ore in the furnaces. Then into the minecart, flicking the switch for the bus stop, and run home as fast as I could. Barely made it inside, and fell asleep as I sat to take off the backpack.

 

[Terdin]

Summer 18
The sound of rain on my roof and windows made me want to spend all day in bed. A meow from Belle reminded me why I couldn't. Spotting my backpack on the floor reminded me of yesterday's trip to the mines. I had a second shirt now, provided that it really fit me. Only one way to find out. I shook it a few times to remove the dust before trying it on.

The red shirt did fit. It was just the right size, though I would've worn it even if it had been a size too big. My old shirt needed to be cleaned before the sweat stains grew permanent.

Again the questions about who had put it there arose in my mind. I really hoped it wasn't the void spirits. They were trying to kill me, so it made no sense in giving me presents. The dwarf at the entrance, was he involved? That library book mentioned them taking stuff from humans at night. Had he stolen it from one of the other girls in town only to have the void spirits steal it from him? Would I be accused of theft if one of the other girls recognized it as theirs?

I shook my head at my thoughts and went to the TV. If I was accused of theft, I'd tell them where I found it.

Weather forecast, thunderstorm. Luck very good. Should I try my luck at the mine again? Or see what help wanted request was going and focus on that? In either case I could look at it and decide after that.

I took care of Belle, and the new bait, before going to make sure my chickens were doing okay.

Ayame and Ina were bigger now, and their adult plumage was beginning to grow out. There was still enough food available for both of them, so after giving them some attention, I went to see what could be harvested besides the hops.

Blueberries, hops, coffee beans, and hot peppers were ready. Putting them away I recalled yesterday's abandoned quarry clearance. Whether or not I went to the mine, I could do that much mining.

Several ore nodes, even if it was just copper and iron, and a bunch of geode nodes, both ordinary and frozen, were scattered among the rocks. With the magma and omni geodes I had, Clint would get a decent income from my geode breaking, maybe even... No, probably not more than he'd pay me for the gold ore he wanted to see, especially not if I had to sell him some of the minerals to make room in my backpack.

Back at my materials chest I made preparations. An emerald for Gunther. And the two bottles of squid ink for the community center. The gold and geodes for Clint. When had I got two omni geodes? Or had it been a case of finding two at once, which seemed to happen at times. Oh, and I had to get the furnaces going. Iron ore this time.

At the bus stop, I looked at the mine cart. Then turned my schedule around and went to see Clint first.

"Hello. I found you some gold ore," I said as I entered. Then spread the gold ore on his counter.

"Seems like there's still a good amount of quality ore down there. Good to know for my next mining trip." He handed me an envelope. "You can put those away now. I just wanted to see them."

"I've got some geodes too," I said. "Let's get these omni geodes first."

Clint nodded. Stone, and some kind of old drum.

"This looks like something for the museum, unless you've got one from somewhere else already," Clint said.

The eleven magma geodes were next. Helvite, fire quartz, two dolomite, three gold ore, two iridium ore, tigerseye, and I ran out of space in my backpack. I ran over to the museum.

"Got some stuff for you," I told Gunther.

"Already?"

I placed the emerald, ancient drum, tigerseye and helvite on his counter, then we went to place them in the collection.

"I've got a musical block as a reward for the drum. Just something you can play with that doesn't take too much space. Maybe you could use it to get an audible warning if someone's moving around on your farm?" Gunther suggested.

"Maybe later. I've got more geodes to crack, so I need the space in my backpack. Hopefully I'll get more minerals to donate." I returned to Clint.

The remaining four magma geodes held three stones, five iron ore, three coal, and an obsidian. The five frozen geodes came next. Five copper ore, fairy stone, kyanite. I had to pause.

"Could I sell you the dolomites, the kyanite, and the obsidian?" I asked. "I haven't donated a fairy stone yet, but I saw the others when we placed the earlier finds.

Clint sighed, then tallied it up. "I can give you 1050 G for them. Take it or leave it."

"Thanks."

The remaining two both contained geminite. The four geodes contained clay, thunder egg and a total of ten stones.

"I'll drop these in my shipping bin," I said to Clint's obvious relief, then went over to the museum again.

"Only a fairy stone," I told Gunther. "The rest was either minerals I've already donated, worthless, or metal ores."

"That's not so 'only' you know," Gunther said. "You've accomplished a lot more than I expected you to. Not this soon anyway. Are you sure you aren't... You know, in the same business as that - I hate to say it - wizard guy? Magic goes against science even if it seems rife in these areas. The way he appeared before me and then disappeared, was unnerving. I spent days trying to explain it away with logic, but..."

"No magic involved in finding these minerals and artifacts. Not from my side at least. I sometimes find geodes in my quarry, and I've been going to the mine a lot. I also keep an eye out for any patch of dirt that seems like it might hide something. Most often I just find some stones, or a lump of clay, or even some stash of seeds left by a mouse."

Gunther didn't seem convinced. "You'd be better off if you avoid that guy. No good can come from associating with... people like that. Makes me wonder if what Penny told me about a witch that flies around here cursing stuff, is true too. Maybe that was what made the previous curator up and leave."

"I'll keep that in mind," I promised. "But he did lift the void spirit curse from me, and from you too, so some good has come from associating with him." I did not tell him I could understand some of the void spirit language now. What I didn't know was how much of it I understood, since none of them had ever tried to hold a conversation. They had only attacked me.

Gunther rubbed his beard as I left, having been given food for thought.

On my way to the community center, I considered what Gunther had said. Mom had always claimed Grandma died when a lightning strike hit the greenhouse. Grandpa hadn't tried to correct her, but he'd looked like he didn't agree. Had it been a witch curse? Or something else entirely? Hadn't I heard something about it at some point and then forgot my suspicions because I had too much on my mind as it was?

A poster with the image of a hot-air balloon and an arrow reminded me that the bookseller was visiting today. It was why I hadn't bought that iridium rod already.

The squid ink only caused a minute increase in tension, as I had come to expect. "Now I only need to get my hands on 15 roe," I said to myself as I straightened. "And melt those five iridium ore into a bar. I think I have five of them now."

I went to see if Abigail wanted to come with me to the bookseller, but Pierre told me she was busy with a videogame. Despite that, I entered her room to see if she'd change her mind or chase me out. Then she had a game-over and swore in a low voice before noticing me.

"Oh, Erica. I almost didn't recognize you. New shirt?" She didn't wait for me to answer before going on. "I never seem to be able to clear even the first level of Journey of the Prairie King, no matter how many times I try." She glanced at her console and the second controller. "Could you help me? Maybe we could do it together."

"Sure thing, even if I've never played it before."

"Still better to have some backup."

I tried to follow the trick I'd read about in the book about the game. Most of the time it took out the enemies before they could reach me, but there was a narrow angle where they could get at me, and sometimes I wasn't able to change my aim fast enough. Occasionally I darted out to gather some coin or boost that dropped nearby when there was a lull between waves. When I was at my last life, and Abigail having lost her last life in the last wave, the timer reached 0 and we'd cleared the level.

"I can't believe it. You said you'd never played before," Abigail said. "But you looked like you knew what you were doing, and we did it."

"I've never played it, but I found a book in the library that mentioned a strategy for the first level, so I tried to follow that," I admitted. "I'm not sure I picked the right corner to stand in though. Maybe with some practice, I'd get better at changing my aim to get those in the blind spot. Not sure if it helps with any of the other levels."

"You found a walkthrough?" Something about her told me she'd visit the library the first chance she got to look for that book.

"No. It mentioned clearing the game made you enter a lottery with some kind of prize, so I don't think it's a walkthrough. I think they consider it difficult enough that they can afford to give a hint for the first level. There were a few more hints at what might be important, upgrades and stuff, but I didn't think I'd end up playing it, so I didn't memorize them."

Abigail considered it. "Well, what's up with the shirt? You ordered it online?"

I shook my head. "Believe it or not, but I found it in a barrel in the mine. I've found boots in there before, but they all have one thing in common that really bothers me. They're all my size."

Abigail looked out the window even though she could only see the cliff behind the house. "Is that Marlon of the guild a creep? I've seen him at festivals and he looks like the kind of person who could prove to be a creepy old man, even if he hasn't said anything that sounds like he'd be." She spoke in a low voice to avoid either of her parents overhearing.

"He hasn't mentioned the boots even if I'm sure he's noticed them. Haven't visited the guildhouse since finding the shirt, so I can't say for sure. Maybe I should ask him. Anyhow, that wasn't why I stopped by. I wanted to ask if you'd want to come with me to the bookseller, even if it's kind of a bad day for it. I have a hunch that they sell magic books. Want to see what happens to me when I read them?"

She looked at me as if I wasn't making any sense. "What do you mean by 'what happens to you'? Is there some weird stuff going on when you do?"

"He said that the magic in me and me wanting to take the easy way out, is what causes it. I think it might be worth seeing before you decide you want him to awaken your magic talent."

"I..." She trailed off. "Okay. I'll tag along. You sure pick the most romantic days, don't you?" She sounded amused.

"What do you mean?" I asked, certain that she was being sarcastic.

"I like rainy days. If you go out on a rainy day, you are less likely to meet others. You can pretend you're all alone in the world." She got her umbrella from a corner near the door.

"I've noticed that too. I used to like them only when I could spend the day being cozy indoors. Now I've come to like them for making my life easier. No need to water, so I have more time to do other stuff."

"Dad, I'll show Erica where the bookseller is," she told her father as we passed by the counter.

Pierre looked surprised. "You said you were busy, and you've been in a bad mood for the last few days."

"Erica helped me clear the first level of the game when I was starting to think I'd never be able to get even that far, so I thought I'd help her a bit."

Pierre looked like it explained her mood change.

We crossed the bridge and turned around the back of JojaMart. The weeds had grown to block easy access to the stairs, but a few swipes with my sword cleared a path for us.

"Didn't you have some odd weapon before? That sword looks really cool. Black and it's so long too," Abigail said.

"I found it in the mine too. It's too long for me to handle well, and I need to be careful with how I swing it. I leave my old weapons in the chest by the elevator in the entrance of the mine."

"So, what kind of effect should I expect?" Abigail asked, and I knew she didn't mean the swords or the chest.

"Just stay calm and let me get through it. I won't be able to speak." I went up the stairs to the balloon landing.

"Welcome! I'm Marcello, selling books and occasionally buying them too," the gray-haired and moustached shopkeeper said. When I got close enough, he added "Ah, you must be Erica. I've got some good books for you."

He lined up books, all fitted with loose price tags. I could sense all of them having power, and there were four that were different from the others.

"Those are horrendously expensive," Abigail said.

"Ah, but the discerning mind could really make use of these," Marcello said. He turned to me. "These will make your work a bit easier. A shortcut, so to speak."

"And these?" I gestured to those that felt different.

"Very good. Rasmodius said you might be able to spot it. Don't look at me like that."

"I think I already knew. From after reading Jewels of the Sea and spotting your notification in the town calendar. Just kinda hurts to have suspicions confirmed," I said.

Abigail looked from me to Marcello and back again. "What are you talking about?"

"That Marcello is an associate of that wizard," I told her. "While these other books might indeed be helpful, they pale in comparison to these four."

Marcello's eyebrows rose. "You seem to trust her a lot."

Rather than responding to that, I pointed to the only book of the four that I could afford: Price Catalogue. "I'll buy that one."

"Very good. If you peruse that, you will eventually get a better understanding of what things are worth," Marcello said.

Money and book changed hands.

"Eventually?" I asked. "Abigail, watch this."

I took a deep breath before I opened the book. As I expected, the pages turned rapidly, and it flew into my chest, paralyzing my lungs. I dropped to my knees on the wet ground, then sat on my heels, as items and numbers flickered through my head and obscured my vision. Better to be close to the ground in case I got too dizzy to remain standing.

"Erica!" Abigail's voice was sharp, piercing my ears. "What's going on with you?"

I gestured for her to wait, hoping to calm her.

Finally my lungs started working again and my vision cleared. A headache remained. Gingerly I got to my feet, half expecting my knees to be too weak to stand.

"That's what happens when a person with magic who is prone to take the easy way out reads a magic book," I explained. "Or at least that's what he said."

"That's the first time I've seen something like that happen," Marcello said. "Normal people can read them normally even if most find them boring, and most people with magic want to take their time learning."

I ignored him. "If you want to have your magic awakened and think it will make your life easier, that effect is likely to happen to you too," I told Abigail. "Each book I've read have been a different measure of unpleasant. This one wasn't too bad, even if it gave me a headache. The one before it made me throw up. Some have been rather painful, but after they fly into me, my lungs are paralyzed for a while. He said that one either paid with one's body or one's time."

"Oh..." Abigail said weakly. "So that's why you said you wouldn't be able to speak."

I turned to Marcello. "One reason I trust her is that she's got a bit of magic talent and I think it's a side of the world that shouldn't be approached blindly like what happened to me. I've got a farm to run, and don't really have time to take weeks or even years to fully understand these books, and the books seem to know that, so they make the most of the moment."

"And yet you seek out more books to read, or should I say... to be read by?" Marcello said. "You're a very interesting young woman, Erica."

I shrugged. "It's seemed worth it so far, so I just have to hope that will continue to be the case. I'll be back when I can afford to buy some of the others. Those two seem particularly interesting. I don't have a horse, which makes that one less interesting."

Marcello let out a brief laugh. "I admit I'm a bit curious as to how they'll affect you, what with what you've said about those earlier books. Anyhow, if you find any spare books that you don't want to read, you can trade them in with me for various items. I'm afraid money is tight enough that I can't offer to pay. You'll have to be the one to decide if the trade is worth it, or if you want to read the book instead."

Several instances of books and prices made themselves known in my head. "Or if I want to just place them in my shipping bin and take what little money I can get that way. I'm also sure there are a few people in town that might like getting a book as a gift." I nodded to Marcello and walked down the stairs. Abigail followed me.

"I too don't have that much time for myself," Abigail admitted when we reached the bridge. "My parents have me help out around the store and the house, I've got my videogames and online studies, and my friends... You may be right that I could be affected the same way. My parents would think I was choking on something if I read one at home. Not to mention how expensive they are... I can't see how you can see the experience as worth it if it's even close to what you describe."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "I'd say it's more like I've resigned myself to it. I think the Wizard is making me come across them and enjoys watching my reactions from afar. I also think that the bookseller will tell the Wizard about what happened. If feigning bravado or indifference gets either of them even a bit unsure about whether they've got the upper hand in this, it's worth it. I want to run my own life, not have people like them constantly making decisions for me."

She nodded and sighed. "Are you gonna go see if the doctor can get you something for that headache of yours? I think his clinic's still open."

It was my turn to nod, and we parted ways outside her front door.

Two voices talking came from one of the back rooms of the clinic. I opened the door leading from the reception room. Robin and Dr. Harvey, discussing Maru. I knocked on the door to the examination room. The voices quieted, then Dr. Harvey opened the door.

"Erica. What are you doing here? What happened? You're all pale," he said in a voice that was much too loud for me at the moment.

"Read too much, and got a headache," I said. "It seems to be just behind my eyes."

"Sounds like it could be an occular migraine." Dr. Harvey went to look for whatever suitable painkillers he had.

Robin left the sofa she'd been seated in. "Good thing my appointment finished some time ago. Then we started talking about how Maru's doing. She works part time here."

Something on my face must've told her I was not in the mood for chatting. We stood in silence until Dr. Harvey returned.

"Here. I made you a one-time prescription of migraine relief. If we go out to the reception I can take care of the payment. 200 G for the consultation and the medicine. Robin, could you fill one of those cups with water and bring it to the reception room? She should take one dose right away."

I gladly paid. Then got handed a small box with ten pills. "Take one at the onset of migraine. If it persists, or returns later, take another dose. Max two doses in one day," Harvey explained. "You should get home and get some sleep. Quiet and dark will help the medicine to do its work."

"As long as my cat doesn't get the zoomies or decide to loudly demand my attention. I think I might be better off if I go fish. I can keep my eyes closed until I feel a nibble, and maybe even while trying to reel the fish in."

"You really should take better care of yourself," Harvey said sternly.

"I know. Thanks for this." I held up the box. "I hope I won't need to use the remaining pills." I stuffed it in a side pocket of my backpack before leaving.

In preparing my backpack for fishing rather than a mining expedition, I realized I could determine the value of objects with just a glance, that the thunder egg was worth 100 G, and the two geminites total value was 300 G. I grabbed the fishing rod and made sure it had all my available bait. Then I spotted the beach totems, I decided to use one as a shortcut.

Another disconcerting teleportation later, I stood in front of a statue at the beach. I then went to fish until I realized I had better hurry home, unless I wanted to risk finding myself having got emergency treatment for exhaustion again.

Somehow made it home in time, but only for going inside and straight to bed.

 

[Nonak]

Great stuff here! I see why people like it, I do too.

 

[Terdin]

Summer 19
The rumble of thunder and the rain on the window made me feel like staying indoors all day. Then I recalled yesterday's headache and was relieved that it was gone. Belle's meow as I petted her sounded resigned.

"I know it's cramped in here. But nothing keeps you from going outside, apart from the rain," I told her.

Of course there was no answer, and I went to the TV.

Weather forecast sunny. Luck good.

I frowned. Hadn't Willy said something about a trout fishing competition this week? There wasn't much left of it. Did it start today? Tomorrow? Gathering my bait, I headed out to check on my chickens, gather the bait maker, and tend to my machinery.

Ina and Ayame had a surprise for me in the coop. Their first eggs, worth 50 G apiece. I needed a chest in here so I could store them up for when I had a kitchen. Maybe a mayonnaise maker or two too, once they laid large eggs. I made sure they had food, then went to drop off their first eggs in the shipping bin, picking up the 400 G from yesterday.

Hops, corn, summer squash, and some flowers were ready to harvest, and went into storage. I looked at the chest after closing the lid. I needed wood for the coop chest, maybe also for a forest fishing chest, unless the fishing contest was today. That meant both the axe and the fishing rod got to come with me to the Cindersap Forest. Replanted with mixed flower seeds as I passed it by.

No contest was going on, but a large billboard was up, stating that the contest began on the 20th at 6:10 am. Tomorrow. There was also a warning that anything placed nearby would be sent to the lost-and-found at Mayor Lewis' house. Which meant I had to make sure my chest was far enough away.

Working my way through the trees, gathering moss and wood, and of course sap and pine cones. I found that I'd forgotten that the traveling merchant stopped by on Fridays. Just one rare seed available, and I bought it.

Once I had more than enough for more than two chests, I made one and placed it between some bushes near Leah's cabin. Hopefully this was far enough from the billboard to be allowed to remain. The bait maker went into it.

Closing the lid, a muffled sound attracted my attention. Someone was playing music. I went to find the source.

It was coming from Jodi's house. Going inside, I found that Sam's door was unlocked. He and Sebastian were jamming together, with Sam on an electric guitar and Sebastian on a synth.

Sebastian was the first to notice me, playing a discord as he flinched. Sam paused and first looked at Sebastian, then to where he was looking.

"Hello," I said awkwardly. "I didn't want to disturb. Just wanted to listen."

"Actually, you might be able to help us. We're trying to put a band together, but we've yet to even decide what music to play, even if we've tried out several different genres. You've lived in Zuzu city until recently, so you might know a bit about what's in there."

I pursed my lips, digging into my memory. "You could embrace that this is a rural town, and go with country music. Pop music might seem like the safe option, but there seemed to be ten or twenty new pop bands starting up every year, so you'd risk just being one among many," I finally said. "There are fewer country bands starting up, but not so few that it's just a small niche."

Sam thought about it for a while. "Sounds like an idea. Maybe make it really honky-tonky while we're at it. What do you say, Sebastian?"

"I'm in. It's a better idea and your mom might actually let us practice that." Sebastian turned to me. "She shut down our go with experimental noise rock pretty quickly last winter. Same with the dance music, claimed it was too energetic."

"Dance music... Most of the places playing that just play recorded stuff, you would be hard pressed to get to play live anywhere. Don't know enough about the rock scene to say for sure about it. I do have some rock songs I like, but I don't know what sub genre they're from."

"We just need a drummer..." Sam looked at me.

"Not me. I've got enough to do without trying to fit in band practice," I protested.

"I think I know someone who might be able to do it," Sebastian said. "Leave the recruitment to me."

"Okay, I'll trust you," Sam said.

Sebastian made some adjustments to his synth, then started playing a different tune with more of a country feel to it. Sam joined in after a few bars. I listened for a while before leaving them to it.

Jodi waited in the livingroom for me. "What were you talking with them about?"

I quickly told her the gist of it.

"Well, at least you picked something that I might get them to play at a decent sound level. Some of their earlier stuff... Sam insisted that it had to be played loud enough to make the windows rattle, and I wouldn't have that in my house. Disturbed our neighbors too. Not just Emily and Haley, but Marnie was complaining that it upset her animals." She listened to their current melody. "I don't think Marnie will complain about this, even if Haley might. That girl..." Jodi shook her head. "Thanks for telling them what I couldn't. Sometimes children need to hear stuff from someone their age because they'd dismiss it if it came from their mom." She noticed the look on my face. "Yes, I know. Sam's old enough to move out of here if he could afford living on his own, but he'll always be my child. Sometimes it doesn't seem all that long since he was Vincent's age."

"Er... I'd better go gather some more wood, and moss," I said before fleeing, barely exchanging a greeting with Vincent on my way out.

I went around the forest, taking down most of the trees, but leaving some of those close to the billboard. Got a couple of mystery boxes falling on my head as I was busy felling trees. Then a denim shirt dropped from a tree. Again it seemed to be my size. This time it was unlikely that Marlon or Gil was behind it. I glanced at the Wizard's tower. Was he the culprit? I did not want to go talk to him about it. It could turn out that he was doing this to make me come see him so he could continue chewing me out about the community center. He wouldn't catch me that easily.

On my way home I made a detour to the secret woods to cull the slimes and gather the hardwood from the stumps. Gathered a bunch of fiddlehead ferns too, and a couple of red mushrooms. Ate one of the ferns to restore energy and to get a sense for what they tasted like.

Returned home with enough time to spare to finally get around to wash the shirt I'd had when arriving to the farm. Then again, laundry didn't dry all that well on a rainy day. The farmhouse grew humid enough from drying the clothes I'd been wearing during the day.

Summer 20, Trout Derby begins
Woke up with a start, itching to go to the fishing contest. But TV first, then chores.

Weather forecast, windy. Luck poor. Not what I'd hoped for, but it couldn't be helped.

Gathering today's bait, I went out to tend to the machinery. I had yet to make that iridium bar. Didn't want to feel forced to take the time to deliver it. Made the chest for the coop, and two more quality sprinklers.

The grass was tall enough that it took some time to find Ayame and Ina and make sure they were kept happy. Put the chest down inside the coop and dumped the two eggs into it.

Hops, tomatoes, and coffee beans were ready. Watered what needed watering and placed the two sprinklers. One return to the summer crop chest to store the harvest, making sure my backpack was in order, with fishing rod and bait at the ready, some salmonberry jelly and what remained of the salmonberry harvest to keep my energy levels up. Even if I still felt the energy boost of that stardrop fruit, fishing was no doubt as strenuous as it had been before eating it. Then I was off.

I ran towards the forest, wishing I'd had been able to afford that Way Of The Wind book that had held a promise of making me run faster.

The derby was already in full swing. A booth had been built where the billboard had been, and I went there.

"Can you tell me the rules for the derby, please?" I asked the grizzled fisherman manning the booth.

"We've released a bunch of rainbow trout in the river that have been fitted with golden tags. If you catch one with a tag, you can trade it for a prize here. Special bait has also been released into the water to make the rainbow trout be on the feed and possible to catch the whole day. Normally, you wouldn't be able to hook one after 7 pm, but for the duration of the derby, you can. Now, go fish to your heart's content."

I went to a place on the riverbank close to Leah's cottage, so I wouldn't have too long to walk to get to the chest.

It turned out to be difficult to catch my first trout. Two chubs, a pike, and a sunfish, and some green algae was caught before I got my first rainbow trout. No tag. I went to my chest and took out the bait maker. It quickly turned the trout into nine pieces of bait, which replaced the deluxe bait currently in the bait holder. The rest of the catch went into the chest. Now that I could tell what stuff was worth, I was reluctant to eat fish to restore energy. Even the sunfish was worth several times more than a salmonberry.

Caught seven trouts with that first batch of bait, two of them bearing golden tags. Traded them in for a tent kit and a crab pot. I returned to the bait maker, then to the riverbank when I had more trout bait. Willy arrived a while later, and claimed a spot a bit downstream from me. I took a break to talk to him.

"It's the big day! I've got all me equipment tuned to catch trout... Good luck."

"Good luck to you too. I've already turned in two tags." I returned to my chosen spot.

As the day wore on, I took breaks to make more bait, trade in a golden tag or two, and eat some salmonberries. When Elliot stopped by to watch the fishing action, I went to talk to him.

"Don't mind me. I just came to watch," he said in response to my greeting. "I wish you luck."

"Thanks."

A couple of hours later I got a bite from something that I at first thought was a sturgeon with how it fought. When I finally caught it, my eyebrows rose at the golden sheen of the scales. A dorado. I went to put it and my latest other side catch in the chest when Leah emerged from her cabin.

"Hello," I said, feeling a bit guilty about placing my chest so close to her home.

"Hello. What should I do on such a warm lazy day..." Her sigh was followed by a yawn. "Come with me to the Saloon?"

"I'm participating in the Trout Derby, so I'll see you there at some other time," I said.

"I'll escort you there," Elliot offered, bowing slightly.

They walked off together.

Suppressing an urge to tag along, I checked how much trout bait I had left, then made some more.

Night fell, but none of the other participants seemed to want to give up on trying to get more tags. The only one apart from me who seemed to have much luck was Willy. Were the others only using normal or deluxe bait? Another bite made me stop considering the fishing strategies of others and focus on reeling in my catch.

Handing in my 11th tag, I got a bucket hat. It made me consider switching from the straw hat to the new one, but the straw hat had a wider brim.

"Now you've got one of each prize. You can get multiples of most things, apart from the tent kit. The kit's mostly a prize to allow everyone to stay the night here and get an early start tomorrow, even if you locals may not feel you need it," the guy manning the booth said.

"Thanks for telling me." I looked at my watch. "Won't go for that today. Better for me to get home and get some sleep."

I picked up most of the side catch from the chest and some of the prizes, filling my backpack. I left the dorado in case I'd get a request for one, since it was so difficult to even get to bite. The pike on the other side were plentiful and worth just as much as the dorado. The last thing added was one of the farm totems, which I used to get back home.

I had to shuffle things around a bit to fit the prizes I'd brought. The halibuts from a few days ago were thrown into the shipping bin, and I picked up yesterday's 100 G from the eggs while I was at it. Some of the side catch also went there, like chub and pike. Then it was time to get inside and write in my diary. For once I locked the door behind me even if most of the derby participants would likely fish until they had to use their tents.

 

[Terdin]

Summer 21, End of Trout Derby
A fly was buzzing around indoors as I got out of bed, and Belle leaped up to catch it. At first I wondered why she was still inside despite the fine weather. Then I recalled locking the door. Of course her usual trick of hanging on the door handle hadn't worked. I petted her before letting her out, then gathered the bait and went to the TV.

Weather forecast, sunny. Luck was in my hands. The Queen of Sauce taught me how to make maki rolls, one of the things I needed for the community center.

It was only then that I realized I felt fully refreshed by the night's sleep, meaning I had got better at something. Probably fishing or farming considering that was what I'd mainly been doing yesterday.

The machinery got tended to. Ina and Ayame played hide-and-seek in, but fortunately revealed their locations when they decided to move and created ripples in the grass. Their eggs went into the chest even if I was tempted to see what raw egg tasted like. I could probably use the protein from it.

A screech as I emerged from the coop reminded me that it had been some time since my last visit the cave. Among the various berries was an orange.

I ate one of the better quality salmonberries for breakfast, then went to water my hops, and place the torches I'd got from recycling some soggy newspaper. Harvested hops, hot pepper, radishes and replanted the radishes. To make space, I put the gold quality crops in the shipping bin, picking up 4048 G from yesterday's fish. The furnace I'd put copper in had finished, so I put the iridium ore in it. I had to visit the community center, so I might as well have two items for them.

There was something in the mailbox. A letter from Demetrius asking for a melon. It was dated yesterday.

Since I had got all the prizes from the Trout Derby, I didn't feel as much of a need to go fish, but... Checked the rod. Still some unused trout bait. Might as well go use them. Picked up some crayfish and a periwinkle from the crab pots and rebaited them on my way through. With the crayfish being worth 116 G each, I really should tend the crab pots more often. It was just that they weren't all that visible since they were mostly submerged. Should place the new one at the beach and see if I could catch some actual crabs there.

Reaching the forest, I realized it was Sunday. The traveling merchant was there. Ran over to her cart. This time she had five seeds and I bought them all.

This time, I fished close to the prize booth. Eight trout and two tags later, as well as two pike, a chub, and some treasure I'd got with one of the tags, I traded in the two tags for another crab pot and three more mystery boxes. Going to the chest by Leah's cabin, I exchanged a few words with Willy.

The contents of the chest reminded me had caught a few treasure chests yesterday too, though not that many considering the amount of fish. Had been so focused on the golden tags that I had barely registered it, and moved the items over to make space. I had some kind of ornamental fan to hand in to the museum, and three geodes to crack open in addition to the six mystery boxes.

Beach first to set the crab pots to work. I glanced at the chest before setting off. Maybe it would be best moved to the beach once I could pick it up again.

Didn't get far before meeting Abigail.

"Hello. Wanna come with me to talk to... that guy?" she asked, changing the end of her question after noticing that there were fishermen within earshot.

"Sorry. Won some crab pots and want to set them to work. Also got errands to the museum and the blacksmith. Besides, I'd rather avoid him for a while longer, until I've cleaned up some of the 'mess' I made."

"Oh." A mix of emotions played across her face. "By the way, what do you think happens after we die?" she asked in an obvious attempt to change the topic.

Recalling the ghosts and skeletons in the mine, the answer was simple.

"We come back as spooky ghosts," I said.

"That's an interesting theory," she said.

"Well, I have killed a few..." I admitted. "It's how I got the solar essences for this ring." I held up my hand to show her.

Abigail glanced in the direction of the mountains. "You mean..."

"They're quite far down," I reassured her. "And I think that it might be a good thing to put them to rest for a while. I'm not sure if defeating them puts them to rest permanently."

We parted ways. Again I found Sam and Vincent playing at the beach. Sam got up and approached when he noticed me.

"Dad used to take us to the beach on days like this. I guess I'm trying to keep up the tradition in his stead. You know he's a soldier in the Ferngill army, don't ya?" Sam paused and glanced at Vincent, looking like he'd said too much.

I merely nodded, but Vincent had overheard and came to his older brother.

"Will Dad ever come home?" Vincent asked in a worried tone.

"Of course," Sam said.

"But I overheard some grownups talk about our soldiers being shot to pieces..." Vincent's lower lip trembled.

Sam got a panicked look in his eyes. "Don't believe everything you hear, Vin. Don't you remember how strong Dad is? He wouldn't let a pathetic Gotoro grunt defeat him. You'll see that he'll come home soon."

Vincent thought a bit about that, clearly wanting it to be true, then went back to decorating his sandcastle.

Sam led me a few steps further away. "Actually, I don't know if it's true. We've all read the reports in the newspaper. Our soldiers are dying by the thousands. I don't know if I should've got his hopes up like that..."

"You did the right thing. I think children should have hope," I reassured him. While I could've added that Jodi had told me she prayed for his safe return, I didn't. It could've been that her prayers had come too late to be heard.

He glanced at his younger brother. "I guess you're right. Maybe it's best to let kids be kids as long as they can."

"You were worried that he'd start crying, weren't you?" I asked.

Another, briefer, panicked look went across his face. "When that happens, I don't know what to say or do, and Mom always gives me that disappointed look when I have to bring Vincent to her to... Have got Penny to help me a few times too."

"You should take note of what they do to calm him down. Sometimes all that's needed is a long hug, but other times it depends on the child. Your mom and Penny would know how to handle Vincent a lot better than I do." I went to set the crab pots near the pier and baited them. Vincent came over and asked about what they were for, and I explained it a bit.

Spotting Elliot on the pier I went to exchange a few words with him.

"Had any luck yesterday?" he asked.

"Sure did. Got all the available prizes, and went back there today to use up all the bait I had left. Won a second crab pot that way."

Elliot turned and spotted the crab pots. "I hope you'll catch a lobster. They're really tasty," he said wistfully.

"If they can be caught here, I too would want to catch a few of them," I agreed. "Well, anything apart from trash is welcome. I'd better get going if I want to visit Clint before he closes shop." I left in a hurry.

I got there in time. The geodes gave me calcite, earth crystal and alamite, nothing I hadn't seen before. The mystery boxes gave me a mountain totem, 10 mixed flower seeds, 6 coffee, and 20 quality fertilizer.

"When are you going to upgrade one of your tools?" Clint asked. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind breaking geodes for you, but it's hardly skilled work."

"When I can afford it. A better fishing rod and a bigger backpack are currently higher on my list of priorities."

"You know, I could upgrade your trash can too, for half price. Then it can send your discarded stuff to a recycling station and maybe give you a bit of money in return."

"I'll keep it in mind," I promised, and left.

Gunther received the fan with surprising enthusiasm.

"That makes twenty artifacts that you've found," Gunther said. "I've got a rarecrow for you to commemorate that."

Part of his eagerness had to be from being able to prove that he'd thought a bit more about picking useful rather than decorative rewards. The rarecrow he showed me looked like a raccoon, if someone had taxidermied a roadkill. Seemed more like something that would attract crows than drive them off. I still accepted it.

"Maybe I had better get those pumpkin seeds while I'm here," I said. "Just in case the last week of Summer gets too busy to remember it."

With those chores out of the way, I took the time to exchange a few words with Alex and Haley. They seemed pretty annoyed at having their privacy invaded. The trash can by the museum held a green algae, while the one by the blacksmith held nothing.

Taking the mine cart home, I deposited the calcite and alamite in the shipping bin. Pursing my lips, I made space in my backpack. I needed more money if I wanted a better fishing rod, and the best way I knew of that was fishing... Oh, and I could bring a melon to Demetrius. He was probably examining the bushes in the park again.

The furnace finally got the iridium bar done. It was still hot, so I sprinkled water over it until it got safe to handle, then added it to my backpack and made sure I had the orange and a melon there too. Then I was off again.

Met Harvey coming down the stairs from the park. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it? And you look like you've taken my advice to heart," he said in response to my greeting.

I merely smiled at him, not wanting to get into a lengthy discussion about whether or not stardrops should be considered illegal enhancers. "Demetrius wanted to analyze one of my melons, so I'm bringing one over to him," I said to excuse myself.

Demetrius was still in the park, studying a plant growing at the base of one of the bushes. I had to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Hello. I got you the melon you wanted," I said before he could complain about the disturbance, holding out the fruit to him.

"It looks like a good specimen. Though with that smell it will be difficult to resist eating it." He dug in several pockets before finding the reward envelope. As soon as I had the envelope in my hand, he wandered off with the melon. "Got to get the analysis done soon," he said in parting.

The iridium bar increased the tension of the bulletin board scroll a fair amount, but not as much as the orange raised the pantry scroll's tension. Neither of them going even near uncomfortable levels, even if I would've been bothered by it not long ago. I had told Abigail I wanted to reduce the "mess", but here I was, increasing it instead.
Most of what I needed to actually reduce it wouldn't be available until Fall. Crops, forage, fishes... The only thing I had a chance to reduce was the pantry scroll if I caught enough fish with roe, or got an apple or some cherries from the bats.

Maybe the sea was better for roe hunting. At night I just caught halibuts, rather than a range of different fish. Oh, and I'd better go ask Willy about the weird sea cucumber. I headed for the Saloon, but then thought better of it and went to see the Help Wanted board first. Leah wanting a coral to put on a chain. She was also likely to be found at the Saloon, but I made a detour to my town fishing chest to get the coral for her first.

Neither Leah nor Willy were at the saloon. Which meant that Willy was most likely fishing near his shop. I took the time to exchange a few words with Shane, Pam, Gus, and Emily before leaving. Giving up on the quest for Leah, I headed for the beach, only to meet her leaving it.

"I got you the coral you asked for."

"Oh, it looks like a great shape for what I had in mind, and a great color too," she said. "The one coral I found in one of the tidal pools wasn't quite right. I think it had started bleaching. They do that when it gets too hot, and those tidal pools are quite hot compared to the sea, especially at this time of year. It made for a nice drawing though."

Coral and reward envelope were exchanged. Then we parted ways and I went to see Willy.

"You caught a super cucumber?" Willy asked when I'd described the thing. "Not bad, though it's not one of the legendary fish around here."

"I figured as much. It didn't seem like something you'd have trouble catching."

While three of the halibuts I caught came with treasure chests, none of them held roe. What they did contain was deluxe bait, coal, and copper ore, in various amounts and combinations. Willy went home to sleep, but I kept it up. Knowing what I'd earn from it had kept me going. Then I found myself yawning and looked at my watch. Midnight. I ran home, again wishing I'd been able to afford Way of the Wind no matter what the immediate effect would've been.

There was just enough time to throw the 17 halibuts in the shipping bin. Even just approximating it, I knew it would get me about 3000 G extra. No time for the furnaces or the recycling machine, just in and get to bed.

 

[Terdin]

I decided to have the greenhouse already moved out of the way. Robin moving some boards with a pet bowl on is one thing. Moving an entire greenhouse without needing time to take it down and rebuild it is different.

Summer 22
Lay for a while thinking about what to do. Chickens and crops, of course. Maybe check the cave while I was at the coop... No. I went there yesterday. Of course, fishing rod. With what I sold yesterday I should be able to afford it without going through the reward envelopes. Maybe see if I could catch that fish Willy had hinted at with a better rod and a bobber.

Got up and checked the TV. Weather forecast, rain. Luck somewhat poor. Good thing I hadn't planned to go mining. Livin' Off The Land talked about the calendar and Help Wanted board. Well ahead of you there.

Bait first, then chickens. Didn't need as much time today to figure out where Ina and Ayame were. Their eggs went into the coop chest.

Hops, blueberries, coffee beans, and summer squash to harvest, and a couple of flowers. Planted the sunflower seeds I'd got when harvesting a sunflower earlier. Watered the hops and some flowers outside the grid.

As I went to store the crops, I noticed I had mail. Lewis had named me "Best Neighbor" of the month for the amount of requests I'd completed, and sent me 500 G. Quite an unexpected windfall.

5570 G in the shipping bin, taking my total close to being able to afford that bigger backpack... I shook my head against the temptation. Better fishing rod first, and maybe see if I could make a bobber for it myself. Checking my recipes, I spotted the description for trap bobber. It seemed like a good option. After reading the other descriptions, I reassessed it. It was the best option, and I had enough copper bars and sap to make several. Spotting what it sold for, I made a second. A backup if the first got lost somehow, and if not, I could always sell it. 80 G worth of ingredients turning into something worth 250 G. Not bad.

I emptied the bait holder and was about to leave the fiberglass rod behind. Then I thought better of it, and took it with me. It was better I kept it in the town fishing chest, so I had a rod ready in case I got a sudden urge to fish and hadn't brought the new one. The bug meat and moss also got to come, in case I needed more bait.

Having dropped off the old rod, I reset the crab pots at the beach. Clam and soggy newspaper caught.

Sold the clam to Willy, then bought an iridium rod.

"The Trout Derby was lucrative for me too, lass," Willy said.

I nodded as I looked over the rod, trying to figure out where to attach the trap bobber. "There, right?" I fastened it to a side line.

"That's right. That one will make it easier to catch tricky fish. Ye could also have picked a cork bobber. Too bad ye can't equip two bobbers on that rod. Some rods can equip two, but they're difficult to get hold of and expensive. I'd not afford to hold even one of 'em in stock."

I had some memory of him saying that before, but didn't mention it, knowing I often needed reminders of things when I had more than enough to keep track of.

"Maybe this will let me have a go at that tricky fish you mentioned off at the tidal pools pier," I said instead.

"I won't stop ye from having a go, lass. Just don't be upset if ye still can't catch 'im."

"How do I know if I've caught the right fish?"

"Oh, ye'll know."

It was difficult to resist picking up the two corals I passed on my way to that pier, but I reminded myself that I could always get them on my way back if I had the space for them.

Casting my line I got to thinking about possible catches. It was too late for octopus, and probably too early for super cucumber. Pufferfish was possible. Then there were the ordinary fish like red mullet, tuna, and flounder. Not much time to consider the movement as I got a bite. Red mullet from how it moved, and I was proven right. Seemed like having a stouter rod didn't alter the feel for their movements all that much.

Four flounders and two red mullets later, not counting seaweed and trash, I caught a tuna with a treasure chest, finding out how much the trap bobber helped. Only deluxe bait, but welcome all the same.

Another red mullet, then something else bit. Got it part of the way in, then it went crazy and escaped. Two red mullets later, it bit again. This time I somehow managed to reel it all the way in. Put it in my backpack before it could squirm out of my hands, then sat down on the pier to catch my breath and massage some life into muscles brought too close to exhaustion.

Belatedly ate a couple of salmonberries to regain some of the energy I'd spent on reeling in those fish, especially that last one. At first glimpse in the water it could be mistaken for a red mullet, but it had a more saturated red color and even the eyes were red. Fought a lot different too, requiring constant attention and adjustment.

Picked myself up and walked ashore. I'd done more than enough fishing for the day. Gathered the corals, including one that lay a bit away. Went to see if Willy was out fishing or if he'd gone to the Saloon.

"I saw ye catching that crimsonfish," Willy said in greeting. "That was something. He's been eluding me for years, and ye caught 'im on yer first day with that rod. Never thought ye'd get this good so fast."

"I think it was still somewhat tired from the first time I hooked it, and that's why I was able to reel it in the second time. Any idea what I should do with it?"

Willy shrugged. "Up to ye. Cut 'im up for sashimi, sell 'im, stick'm in a fish tank, or make a fish pond to get roe. Yer choice. The more valuable the fish, the more valuable the roe, most of the time. Ye shouldn't catch more than one of 'em though. They're not called legendary for nothin' ye know."

It was difficult to refrain from telling him that if the crimsonfish could produce roe, it was a female, not a male. Then again, some species of fish changed gender if the conditions were right. It was possible that the crimsonfish was one of them.

I checked my backpack to see if the price catalogue in me could tell me the value of the crimsonfish. It could, and I had to swallow. Just over 2800 G. From one fish. I'd have to go see what the roe from the lake fishes was worth to get an idea of what crimsonfish roe might be worth. But this could be the solution I'd been looking for from day 1, a somewhat reliable way to earn money. None of the roe so far had made me figure it was my ticket out of poverty, not even the sturgeon roe that Willy had said was rather valuable if aged into caviar. Could other roe... Of course it could. The fish farmer bundle had aged roe as one of the possible gifts.

"I think I'll have to talk to Robin about building a fish pond," I said, and took it as my reason to leave.

Of course, it would have to wait a while. Her workday had already ended, and she wouldn't be working tomorrow because of the workout group. But she might be standing looking out over town. I could ask her what I needed to bring.

Then again, I could use the respite and make sure I could afford it. Wouldn't do me much good if I turned up with everything needed and being short on money. More stone too, so I wouldn't be short on that. It was unlikely that she'd build a fish pond out of wood. I'd also need to save up for buying seeds for Fall. It wasn't that far away now. I had those envelopes, but how far would they go? I couldn't trust that they'd be enough.

Head buzzing with plans I almost crashed into Elliot returning to the beach from where he'd spent the day.

"Erica? You look dazed. I guess the hot summer air can make anyone a little dizzy," he said.

"Too many thoughts at once," I admitted.

"Ah, I know that feeling. Like when I get an idea for writing and then it spins off in several different directions at once instead of keeping to a concise plotline."

"I'm thinking of building a fish pond, and what I need to make that a reality," I said. "Need to ask Robin what materials I need to bring to her."

As I passed by the General Store, I was reminded of when I'd had tea with Caroline. Had the tea bushes matured? I hadn't checked them in a long while. Maybe I should. But Robin first.

Robin was on her way home when I caught up with her. Grabbed her sleeve as I tried to catch my breath. Let go when she stopped.

"You're winded. What's the emergency?" she asked.

"What do I need to bring to build a fish pond?" I asked in between gasps of air.

"Stone, green algae, and seaweed, but I won't be able to take that job order until Wednesday."

"I know. Just wanted to know what materials to bring, so I wouldn't have to run back and forth. Thanks for telling me."

"It's no problem. And you're welcome to visit any time, even if you don't have any building project in mind," she said in parting.

I didn't take her up on her offer as the wind blew a familiar smell from the lake. Sebastian was smoking over there.

"Hello," I said when I was a few steps away, not wanting to startle him. "How are things going?" I asked when I reached him.

"Summer's too hot for me. It only starts to get comfortable at night. And here at the lake it seems a bit cooler, somehow."

"At least you live in the basement and not up in the attic just under the sun-beaten roof," I said.

He pondered it for a while and got a horrified look. "In an attic it would get too hot for my computer. I wouldn't be able to work. And I'd have to go outside during the day to escape the heat." He shook his head against the mental images. "How are things going for you?"

"Been fishing," I said, not wanting to brag too much about having outdone Willy. "Figured I'd had enough of it and that I should talk to your mom about a coming project. Then I smelled the smoke from that." I gestured to his roll-up.

"Want a pull?" He offered it to me.

I shook my head. "I think I'd better not."

"Your loss." He turned away from me to watch the ripples on the water surface.

Leaving him to it, I went to the Saloon. Just the regulars there. Clint, who was trying not to be obvious in his glances in Emily's direction, asked if I'd got any further in the mine.

"Still at floor 100," I said, keeping my voice down. "Took part in the Trout Derby, and went fishing today too, since the fortune teller said my luck was bad. Didn't want to risk the mines."

Pam was out of it, using her arm as a pillow, barely reacting when I touched her shoulder, just a grunt with the unspoken message to leave her alone.

"How have you been doing lately?" Gus asked to divert my attention.

"Caught a lot of trout during the Trout Derby," I said.

"You should learn how to cook trout soup," Gus said. "Maybe Willy could teach you. He often sells some of his in his shop. Claims it makes it easier to fish."

"I should get a kitchen first," I reminded him. "But yes, his soup smells delicious."

Emily looked at me sternly, having overheard us. "You catch fish? I hope you treat the poor things humanely. Every creature deserves our respect, even the slimy ones."

"As humanely as I can," I promised her. "In fact I intend to make some fish ponds on my farm and keep some of my catch there."

She brightened, realizing that I had to keep fish alive if I wanted to put them in a fish pond. Before she could come up with something else, I went over to Shane.

"How have you been?" I asked.

Shane sighed, not looking up from his beer. "...Every day's the same. Stocking those horrible shelves. Drinking here. Tossing and turning all night..." He sighed again.

I put my hand on his, hoping to give him some of my energy, even if I was rather worn out from fishing. "I hope you'll sleep better tonight than last night."

"Ooh... the magic touch?" Emily asked.

Shane snatched his hand away from mine. "None of yer business." He turned away from me.

"Don't let it get to you," Emily told me as I was about to leave. She drew breath as if to continue, then glanced at Shane, realizing he'd overhear her.

"I'm not. But it's been a rough day and I need to get home to find something to eat that's not as valuable as what I fished up. Ask Willy about it. He'll probably spend tomorrow evening here, if the weather forecast is correct."

"It usually is. Of course, I've heard them changing their mind at some point during the day. But only to say that a day they previously thought would be fine would turn rainy instead. Never the other way around. Never a surprise fine day," Emily said.

"Just proves that it's a rotten world," Shane muttered just loud enough to be sure we heard him.

Emily turned to Shane and started coming with arguments to prove that things were great.

"Don't bother, Emily. You won't convince him," I told her.

Her eyes bored into my back as I left, with a tiny amount of magic tension to it. Less than a scroll with just one gift added to one of its bundles. "What do you know about that?" she asked as the door was closing behind me.

Before I left the town square, I heard the saloon door open and close. Thinking it might be Emily chasing after me to ask further questions I kept walking. No footsteps came up behind me. Had Shane decided to get out of there? I didn't turn around to see. If he'd had enough of others meddling in what he saw as private stuff, he'd not be happy to have me check up on him again.

The crimsonfish got stored away and the preservation ward on the chest should keep it alive until there was a pond for it. Put the other fishes and the corals in the shipping bin without bothering to calculate what they'd bring me. A few more salmonberries, and I grabbed my axe. The groves on my farm needed me to thin them out. Brought the scythe along too, to give the trees some space to plant seeds in. Then remembered to go look at the tea bushes.

There were tea leaves ready to harvest. Even just five tea leaves were worth as much as a tea sapling. I bit my lip. Maybe I should plant a few more, making an intact hedgerow along the top of the cliff between the stairs and the greenhouse. But not tonight. I had until the end of Summer to do it if I wanted a full harvest week in Fall. I went to cut the grove near Grandpa's grave.

Got a dozen trees down before it was time to get ready for bed. Gathering stone for the fish pond could happen tomorrow.