Writing Nellie Mae-1, year 0, day -1

[Dr. eeL]

The Nellie Mae lurched in the heavy sea, dipping deep to one side, as icy water splashed into the pilot house, just high enough to reach the top of Willie's boots and dribble inside. He peered ahead, looking for the scattered lights of Pelican Village amidst the gloom and snowfall. Snow and ice plugged up the deck drains on the Nellie Mae, and the fishing boat labored under the extra weight of snow and water. Here it was New Year's Eve, and Willie knew that he should have been out at Gus's celebrating, all warm and toasty, but like a fool, here he was freezing most of his body parts off. He had no choice. Tomorrow would be spring, and sure as the sunrise, Lewis would be knocking on his door looking for Willie's share of the village's quarterly tax payment. Now Lewis was not an unreasonable man. More often than not, he simply took what Willie had just acquired as his secret Santa present in lieu of cash. Willie thought of it as a game of musical chairs, one in which he never really got to sit down. And although Lewis was inordinately fond of gold, the few coins that Willie acquired over the winter wouldn't even cover the bottom of an empty coffee can. As a result, at the Feast of the Winter Star celebration, Lewis has hinted (strongly) to Willie that a trio of oversized tuna might just cover the upcoming bill. Big tuna swim in deep water, and although the Nellie Mae was creakingly old and just barely seaworthy, Willie knew what had to be done. It had taken all day and most of the night, but Lewis's fish were secured down below, and as a bonus, Willie had even caught a few herring. Actually, most of what he had caught were these puny-looking herring, but beggars can't afford to be choosy. As the sun was setting, dark clouds covered over its final resting spot, and a storm quickly set upon the sea. And here he was, trying to stay awake, trying to hear the sound of breakers on the shore, trying to see through a cracked windshield and falling snow, trying not to feel his hands, feet, nose, all crying out in pain, but mostly trying to avoid being swamped by the next angry wave. He could go faster, but the diesels driving the boat drink fuel like fish drink water, and fuel was paid for in cash, not scales. At last, out of nowhere, he could hear the shoreline before he could see it, but from the sound alone, Willie knew that the storm had pushed him a bit west of the dock, and he adjusted course accordingly. Finally, the familiar building emerged out of the gloom, and a timely pause in the wind and sea let him guide the Nellie Mae home to the dock. The fish would keep until tomorrow, and he shut down the engine, turned off the lights, kicked the gangplank out, and secured the boat to the quay. With every step, his boots squished, but surprisingly, the water inside was warming up and no longer painful. Willie imagined that it was like having a wet suit over his feet, but that did not stop him from sitting on the nearby bench, pulling off his boots, and pouring out the water. In the glow of the porch light, he watched as a red crab emerged out of nowhere and was eying the skin and toes exposed from the holes in his socks, so he quickly headed inside, leaving only wet footprints behind. Willie glanced at the clock, which said it was well past midnight. "Happy New Year to me!" he muttered. Too tired for supper (even if there had been one), he undressed right in the middle of the shop, climbed the stairs to his bedroom, and collapsed on the bunk. The last thing that he remembered was the rattle of the roof, as the storm said that he was lucky to escape this time. But there would come another time.

 

[FairyRing]

The Nellie Mae lurched in the heavy sea, dipping deep to one side, as icy water splashed into the pilot house, just high enough to reach the top of Willie's boots and dribble inside. He peered ahead, looking for the scattered lights of Pelican Village amidst the gloom and snowfall. Snow and ice plugged up the deck drains on the Nellie Mae, and the fishing boat labored under the extra weight of snow and water. Here it was New Year's Eve, and Willie knew that he should have been out at Gus's celebrating, all warm and toasty, but like a fool, here he was freezing most of his body parts off. He had no choice. Tomorrow would be spring, and sure as the sunrise, Lewis would be knocking on his door looking for Willie's share of the village's quarterly tax payment. Now Lewis was not an unreasonable man. More often than not, he simply took what Willie had just acquired as his secret Santa present in lieu of cash. Willie thought of it as a game of musical chairs, one in which he never really got to sit down. And although Lewis was inordinately fond of gold, the few coins that Willie acquired over the winter wouldn't even cover the bottom of an empty coffee can. As a result, at the Feast of the Winter Star celebration, Lewis has hinted (strongly) to Willie that a trio of oversized tuna might just cover the upcoming bill. Big tuna swim in deep water, and although the Nellie Mae was creakingly old and just barely seaworthy, Willie knew what had to be done. It had taken all day and most of the night, but Lewis's fish were secured down below, and as a bonus, Willie had even caught a few herring. Actually, most of what he had caught were these puny-looking herring, but beggars can't afford to be choosy. As the sun was setting, dark clouds covered over its final resting spot, and a storm quickly set upon the sea. And here he was, trying to stay awake, trying to hear the sound of breakers on the shore, trying to see through a cracked windshield and falling snow, trying not to feel his hands, feet, nose, all crying out in pain, but mostly trying to avoid being swamped by the next angry wave. He could go faster, but the diesels driving the boat drink fuel like fish drink water, and fuel was paid for in cash, not scales. At last, out of nowhere, he could hear the shoreline before he could see it, but from the sound alone, Willie knew that the storm had pushed him a bit west of the dock, and he adjusted course accordingly. Finally, the familiar building emerged out of the gloom, and a timely pause in the wind and sea let him guide the Nellie Mae home to the dock. The fish would keep until tomorrow, and he shut down the engine, turned off the lights, kicked the gangplank out, and secured the boat to the quay. With every step, his boots squished, but surprisingly, the water inside was warming up and no longer painful. Willie imagined that it was like having a wet suit over his feet, but that did not stop him from sitting on the nearby bench, pulling off his boots, and pouring out the water. In the glow of the porch light, he watched as a red crab emerged out of nowhere and was eying the skin and toes exposed from the holes in his socks, so he quickly headed inside, leaving only wet footprints behind. Willie glanced at the clock, which said it was well past midnight. "Happy New Year to me!" he muttered. Too tired for supper (even if there had been one), he undressed right in the middle of the shop, climbed the stairs to his bedroom, and collapsed on the bunk. The last thing that he remembered was the rattle of the roof, as the storm said that he was lucky to escape this time. But there would come another time.

Yay!

 

[Dr. eeL]

NELLIE MAE - 2

Willie awoke from a dreamless sleep to the sound of someone pounding on the door to his shop. "What the . . . " Normally, Mr. 6 A.M. was one of the village's early risers, but somehow, he had slept in. The noise on his door continued. He sat upright. Maybe there was some kind of emergency. Maybe last night's storm had ripped part of his dock away. Maybe his shack itself was about to drift out to sea. Grabbing his raggedy old robe, he climbed down the ladder and with eyes half open nearly tripped over the pile of last night's still wet clothes on the floor. "Coming. Just a minute," he called out. Still barefoot, he opened the door. There, with a huge toothy grin on his face was the mayor. "Top of the morning to you, Willie," announced the mayor. "It's not like you to sleep in so late," he continued. Willie stood there blinking his bleary eyes in the bright sunlight, trying hard to focus. "Lewis. What brings you by so early?" "Why Willie, you know. I'm here for the fish. Look what I brought." Willie looked down and saw that the mayor was pulling a kind of long ice chest that was propped on a wheeled cart. "Wow. That man certainly knows how to come prepared," thought Willie. "Er, just a minute. I'll bring em up," mumbled Willie. Grabbing a pair of elbow high rubber gloves, Willie propped open the back door and went on board the Nellie Mae. Opening the hatch over the engine room, he descended the short ladder, and lifted up a tuna. Grunting from the weight and the awkwardness of getting the long slippery fish walked up through the hatchway, and out the door, he deposited fish number one into Lewis's chest. Repeating the process two more times, completely filled the chest, so much so that the lid barely fit back in place. Willie took a moment to look at Lewis, half expecting the mayor to make some comment about the fish being undersized, but as the mayor had to sit on the lid to snap it closed, there was not a lot of room left for complaints. "Three's the deal," exclaimed the mayor. "By the way. Did you know that a new potential farmer has taken up residence at that old empty shack on the west edge of town?" Willie shook his head, no. "Gotta go. These fish have places to go and things to do," added the mayor. And with that, Lewis started to pull his wheeled ice chest bump, bump, bump over the planks of the dock. Now, Willie had no clue as to what the mayor intended to do with the tuna. Likely, it was not something completely legitimate and Willie snorted at the thought that the mayor would somehow convert this payment for his taxes into ten times as much of his bill in gold. Back inside his shack, Willie found some dry clothes, and retrieved the herring from the boat. In the bottom of a bin by the stove, he found one last edible spud, and after cutting off the sprouts, he diced it and added it to the frying fish. As he sat down to eat, for the first time today, he could feel various parts of his body complaining about the rigors of last night's adventure with the storm. He chewed his meal slowly, not for flavor (there wasn't much) but to try and make each bite last. Over the years, his body had gradually grown thicker, especially after the age of 40, but you would never know it by how little he ate. His thoughts coalesced around the news of a new farmer. There were not a lot of villagers in Stardew Valley, and exactly none of them were much into fishing. Maybe here was opportunity knocking to be proactive, and to try and encourage the new visitor to find his way down to his shack and to stimulate an interest in fishing. Lewis had used the word "farmer" to describe the newcomer, but in Willie's mind, doors were still open until they were closed. Quickly, he wrote down a short invitation to the newcomer to drop on by and receive a welcoming gift. Then, while it was still early, he walked up to Pierre's to drop the note off in the mail. Looking at the clock, it was approaching 9 and as a result he hustled home to open his shop at the usual time.

 

[Jayamos]

You’re back, yay! Willy fanfic, yay! I hope Willy gets to swap out his aged diesels for a fabulous battery-powered motor someday.

 

[Dr. eeL]

Nellie Mae-3

Willie sat comfortably on the corner of his dock, just outside the shop's door, fishing away, as he did almost every morning. The incoming tide brought with it a fresh batch of shore-loving fish, and his catch bucket already held a few anchovies. He briefly took his eyes off of the bobber to scan the cloudless sky, blue on blue, where it met the ocean. Spring signaled the arrival of new types of fish - tiny herring and sardines, bigger and tastier flounder and halibut, all of which to Willie, translated into a welcome change in his diet. Spring also brought with it warm days, and a shimmery light that held out the promise of hope and renewal for those that had survived the harsh winter. The cry of seagulls added grace notes to the steady bass rhythm of the ocean waves making their way to the beach. Similar waves lifted up and down, up and down to his line in the water. One well-fed seagull landed just a few feet away and had one eye on Willie's back and the other on his chum bucket. This guy was not going to take no for an answer, and as a reward for the brave, Willie didn't mind sharing. Time moved so slowly.

The sound of footsteps on the dock reached Willie's ears. It was too early for Elliott, so a curious Willie turned to examine the source. A smiling young lady, possibly in her mid to late 20s, with curly brown hair, walked up to him. Willie wrinkled his brow. Every once in a rare while some visitor from Zuzu City would walk down to his shop from the village, but it was way too early for that to occur. "Hi! Are you Willie?" asked the visitor. "I'm Amanda, but I usually go by Mandy. I'm new to the village. Did you send me this note?" To tell the truth, several days had passed since Willie had mailed off the letter, and the absence of an immediate reply had consigned its memory to the realm of forgetfulness. "Sure nuff. That's me. Pleased to meet you, Mandy." responded Willie. "Just a minute." Willie wound up his line, took off the bait and secured his fishing pole. "Come on into the shop," he invited. Once inside, he continued with, "I think that I promised you a gift, and here it is." With a small flourish, he presented Mandy with a bamboo fishing pole. "Are you much into fishing?" Looking at Mandy, he could recognize that the answer was likely, "No" for her complexion was fresh and lively (not weathered by days in the sun) and although one finger had a prominent bandage, those hands did not look like they had seen a lot of rough outside work. "Actually, I've never fished before. But I'm here in this village because I made up my mind to seek out adventures, to try and be bold, and to be open to new ideas. What can you tell me about fishing?" asked Mandy. "Well, come on back outside and I'll give you a few tips," replied Willie. Together, he showed her how to grip the rod, and to cast the line - the farther out the better. "Right now, you don't need bait. The most important thing is to have a feel for the fish taking the hook," he continued. Together they put their lines into the water, and as luck would have it, it was Willie who hooked onto a halibut and brought it in. Mandy looked on attentively. "Go ahead and take it," said Willie generously. "This will be your starter fish." A few minutes later, it was Mandy's turn to hook onto a fish. But after some up and down tugging, it managed to escape. "Hey, don't be discouraged. Some of these ocean fish can be tricky to pull in," said Willie. "Do you know where Robin lives?" he asked. "Oh yes. She has a home by the mountains," replied Mandy. "Well just by her home is a big lake. And I can tell you from my experience that many of those lake fish are easier to catch than these ocean fish. Take your pole, find a comfortable shady spot on the shore, and try your luck there," he continued. "Thanks for the fishing pole, all your help, and advice," gushed Mandy. "No problem at all, young lady. Remember that you can eat or sell the fish that you catch. I can purchase some off you, and if you put them in the bin outside your cabin, Lewis will pay for what you catch." "That's great to know, because I'm so really cash short," responded Mandy. "I hope to be able to visit you more often, but right now, I'm off to the lake." "Better to be off to see the lake than to be off to see the Wizard," muttered Willie to himself, as Mandy bounded down the length of the dock and disappeared.

 

[Dr. eeL]

Nellie Mae-4

Saturday dawned a typical Stardew Valley morning, cloudless, warm, with a light breeze and plenty of sunshine. Willie spent the morning checking out the Nellie Mae and promptly at 8:30, Gus showed up. "Morning to you, Willie," announced Gus. "Looks like it will be a great day for a little trip." "Yep," replied Willie. "She's uh ready. Hop on board and I'll cast off." Nellie Mae's engines were already idling to warm up. Gus helped with the stern line as Willie undid the bow, and together they clamored over the gangplank. Willie gave it a kick and headed for the pilot house. Once Willie gunned up the diesels, there was too much noise for just general talking, so Gus just stood in the open doorway while Willie manned the helm. The Nellie Mae chugged away from the dock and pointed her bow a bit Eastward, following the coast. The last view of Pelican Village was of the library fading in the distance. For a mile or two, all that could be seen were empty beaches, and plenty of coastal trees and shrubs. Higher up in the distance, one could catch glimpses of a highway. Zuzu City natives called it the "Highway to Nowhere" as it only passed by a few quiet villages before heading into the desert. The mountain backdrop caught moisture laden clouds coming in from the sea, and from time immemorial this benefit enabled the valley to be covered with forest. Standing at the peak of the mountain ridge, one could see a visible line. On the ocean side, it was lush and green. On the desert side, looking down and far way, there nothing but yellow and reddish sand and jagged rocks. Gus pointed to the highway and shouted out to Willie that, "The last bus service to Stardew Valley has recently been suspended." Now the white sandy beaches were gone, and waves splashed up against algae covered rocks and rough bluffs. One mile more, and nestled in a tiny easily overlooked harbor, civilization poked its face out from behind the curtains of nature in the form of a few weathered buildings. As Willie guided the Nellie Mae in towards a ramshackle pier, it was possible to make out a sign (missing a few letters) that should have read, "Welcome to Souderton." One might call Souderton a "fishing village" with the exception that all the boats were long gone. At one end of the pier there rested a rusty looking tank, and Willie pushed the Nellie Mae in alongside, as Gus grabbed a line and gracefully hopped off. He looped the line around the stanchion as Willie shut down the engines. "Take yer time in the town Gus, as I've got to see about getting some fuel," shouted Willie. "No problem. See you in a bit," Gus shouted back. As Gus headed towards the town, Willie headed in the direction of what was once a fish seller's stall and shouted out "Halloo!" A small man popped up from behind the counter. "You don't have to shout, Willie. I saw you come in," he said. "What have you got for me?" he added. "Hi Marv. Twelve flatfish, fifteen halibut, and a couple of buckets of sardines and anchovies," announced Willie. "Let me see them flounders," requested the little man. "Come aboard and you can see the whole lot," promised Willie. Together, Marv and Willie soon emptied out the Nellie Mae, and moved the fish to a sputtering freezer behind the stall. "These are good fish," Marv admitted. "I'll give you 40 gallons of diesel for them." Now Willie had been dealing with fish sellers like Marv for longer than he could remember, and he knew to the penny the value of fish and fuel. "That's an honest exchange. I'll take it." Twenty minutes later, just about the time that the last drop of diesel rolled its way down into the Nellie Mae's thirsty tanks, Gus came strolling down the dirt path carrying a bag full of what he called pub fixin's. "Daylight's wast'in. Let's head back," called out Willie. "Did you find what you were looking for?" "I'll let you know when we are back at the Saloon," replied Gus.

Later that evening, Gus delivered on his promise to Willie for the trip. As Willie relaxed at his usual table with Clint, both carefully nursing some cold drinks, Emily brought out a massive pizza. Not only was it huge, it was also Willie's favorite - Hawaiian. It started with Gus's bubbly crust, slathered with a double batch of mozzarella cheese, peppered with slices of ham and sprinkled with pineapple. For once, Clint has something worth staring at beside Emily, thought Willie, as he said, "I'll need a fork-lift to get these slices to our plates." Maybe in a pizza eating contest two men could finish that pizza but not tonight. Willie generously shared with Clint the remains, and both men knew that a rare Sunday lunch tomorrow was on the menu.

 

[Dr. eeL]

Nellie Mae-5

"Ouch! Ouch! Yowch! Stupid fishhook!" Elliott, who happened to be pacing on the dock at that exact moment, looked up and asked with concern, "What's wrong Willie?" "I've just hooked myself instead of a fish," Willie groaned. "It was one of my bigger hooks, too." Willie held up his thumb for Elliott to see, and it wasn't pretty. There was even a little piece of line still attached and dangling down. "I'd say that you had better go and see Dr. Harvey," pronounced Elliott. "It's Tuesday, around 10 and the clinic will be open." "I hope that he'll take a fish as payment, because I'm clean out of money," growled Willie. "Oh man. It hurts." "Do you want me to walk with you to the clinic?" asked Elliott, kindly. "No, no. I can make it. Just let me put me fishin pole and stuff away and close up shop." Willie kind of kicked himself as he walked the short distance to the clinic, as he normally shopped fishing at 9. But the tide had been out, the fishing was poor, and he really promised himself that he would stop if he just caught one more fish. One more fish that never came.

The doctor tut, tut, tutted during his examination. "Really, you should be more careful," the doctor cautioned. "Thanks. Just get it out, will ya?" responded Willie. "In order to get at the barb, I'll have to make an incision into your thumb," warned Dr. Harvey. "Nothin extra, just go ahead an do . . . Youch! Hey! That hurt Doc. Warn me next time." "Here you go, and look, there's even a small piece of bait attached," smiled the doctor. Doc. Harvey's weak attempt at humor did nothing for poor Willie. At least getting a valuable hook back was a small victory. "Hey, hurry up. I'm being tortured here." The doctor painted over both the hole and the cut with some iodine and wrapped the thumb in a tight-fitting bandage. "Don't use that thumb so much, and try and keep it clean," the doctor cautioned. Willie nodded, keeping silent, knowing that he used that thumb constantly, and that nothing was clean about his fishing shack. Together, they walked to the front desk, where Willie had to ask, "What do I owe you?" Doc. Harvey looked down at his papers, and then looked up at Willie. "How about one lunch? What kind of fish are running today?" asked Harvey. Inwardly, Willie gave a huge sigh of relief, and he quickly said, "I can have Gus cook you up a fish sandwich with his secret sauce on a plate of greens. Today's special is flounder." Harvey replied, "Sounds good. I'll take it." Feeling a bit better, Willie exited the doctor's office and headed for Gus's. After making a deal with Gus to give him half of the flounder if he made a sandwich for Harvey, Willie was feeling like he was in recovery mode as he made his way home to retrieve the fish.

Much later, Willie called it a day and closed up shop for the evening. Even though his thumb had really stopped hurting hours ago, he thought to himself that, "I really need somethin to help with the pain, just in case it comes back," as he headed for the saloon. He sat down, and when Emily came to his table, asked her, "What's new?" She replied that most everyone was talking about the new farmer that had moved in. The problem was that the young lady was pretty much sticking to her farm, and although she had met most of the villagers, no one had any juicy gossip to share, even though everyone was dying to hear some. Willie shared that he had given her a fishing pole, had not seen her since, but recommended to her that she try lake fishing. "Later tonight, after most of the villagers have one, I'll ask Linus if he has seen her up by the lake," Emily thought out loud. Change in Stardew Valley normally moves at the speed of a glacier, and Willie thought that if anyone could find out something new and interesting, it would be Emily.

 

[Dr. eeL]

Nellie Mae-6

Easter Saturday arrived in Stardew Valley like it always does, a bright and beautiful day. Willie dutifully took the short walk in the direction of the village plaza. One of the first to arrive, he looked about at the freshly swept grounds, and noted the strategically placed extra flowers and baskets of colored eggs, likely compliments of Granny. With time to think, he remembered the Easter morning as it once was, so many years ago. Then, the celebration was a major event, with visitors arriving early from as far away as Zuzu City, and pretty much every place in between. The plaza was overrun with hordes of children, shouting, laughing, and playing. Adults were also everywhere, and Willie recalled that even his shop experienced a lively business after the morning celebration was winding up. Slowly, over the years, fewer and fewer visitors came. It was hard to say why. Willie imagined that some kind of invisible social change had swept away all the children. When Zuzu City was just a town, and pretty much everyone farmed, people had lots of children. Having lots of children represented a pool of free labor, and there was always a need for labor on a farm. The city, however, grew and grew, and like a magnet, sucked the youth off of the farm. The jobs in the city paid in gold, not vegetables, and at night there was entertainment, a place to meet someone other than your neighbor, and a variety of shops that the country store could never match. But the city had no need for children. Extra bedrooms, childcare, schools were all expensive, and now children were more of a handicap than help. Generation after generation stopped having them. Whatever the reason, the result was that after Stardew Valley's now twenty somethings grew up and no longer joined in the egg hunt, it just evaporated. Willie thought that the valley was lucky that it even retained some of its youth and knew from conversations overheard in the pub that several entertained thoughts of leaving. In the same way that Lewis still held onto the broken-down community center, he also refused to abandon the egg hunt, even with just the two kids, Jas and Vincent, competing with Abigale, the youngest and last of the twenty something.

Gradually, villagers began showing up, and Willie stood by Granny and George. Lewis arrived, and took center stage, loudly announcing the rules. To Willie's, great surprise, the new farmer Mandy, stood with the other three contestants, looking slightly embarrassed, but holding onto a basket. After Lewis's countdown, all four took off in a hurry. Willie watched as Mandy kind of followed Abigale, with was a tactical error, as Abigale collected eggs like a human vacuum cleaner. Mandy was also at a major disadvantage, for she did not know where the eggs were hidden, and many of the same hiding places were used over and over again from year to year. Never-the-less, there were enough eggs that even she managed to collect a few and stood in a line for the counting. Abigale won again, of course. But Willie observed that Mandy was smiling, and trading some eggs with Jas, who wanted more of the pink ones. A few minutes later, Mandy was talking with the two sisters, and he watched as Haley took a picture of her looking through the stand with the bunny face and ears. Finally, the event that Willie had been waiting for was ready, and with all the other villagers, he headed in mass for the picnic tables loaded down with food. Willie piled his paper plate high with some ham, deviled eggs, carrot and raison salad, a big scoop of green jello with fruit, a ripe peach, a purple plum, and two kinds of brownies. He grabbed some plastic utensils, filled a huge cup with fruit punch, and steamed over to a nearby table and chair. He decided to eat the jello last. There's always room for jello.

 

[FairyRing]

There's always room for jello.

are we sure it's jello and not s-l-i-m-e?

 

[Dr. eeL]

It's green. It jiggles. It is unclear who brings what to the community event dinner tables. Willie seems to enjoy the stuff.

 

[Dr. eeL]

Nellie Mae-7

Willie awoke to the patter of rain falling on the roof, just a few feet above his head. Willie didn't necessarily love rain, but he didn't hate it either. The life of a poor fisherman meant that he spent most of his days outdoors, and of all the adverse weather conditions nature offered, spring rain certainly was one of the mildest. He got up, dressed, and went outside to remove the lid off of his rain barrel. The fishing shack didn't have plumbing, so this barrel was the source of all of Willie's freshwater needs. Having nature fill it up was much easier than walking down to the river and walking back lugging buckets of water. "How many times have I done that," he mused. He found that rainwater, evaporated off the ocean, and distilled in clouds, was fresher and cleaner than what he could retrieve out of the river. Heck, if it wasn't for a tiny wire leading from the village square lamp post down under the dock to his shack, he wouldn't even have electricity. Breakfast was a little short this morning (actually a lot short), se he grabbed his chum bucket, splash-walked to his accustomed spot at the corner of the pier, bent down to swish away the accumulated water, and sat down to try his luck. The only article of clothing that he wore different today than any other day was a wider brimmed hat to keep the water out of his eyes.

It must be said that Willie's ears are tuned to a different frequency than those of most of the villagers. He could hear that the water droplets muted the foaming edges of the breakers as they reached for shore. The background cries and calls of shore birds were absent this morning, as their owners sheltered down out of sight trying to keep dry. Nobody was so hungry that they would trade getting wet for a bite of food. The splash, wash, and rinse of each droplet that landed on the pier scrubbed and cleansed the accumulated speckled pattern of bird droppings. Human visitors tomorrow would be able to smell the salt laden air, instead of the usual more pungent odor of partially digested week-old fish parts. Birds and humans hide from the rain, but not Willie. Sitting amidst the multitude of droplets he tuned into the rhythm of the soft gray billows that rolled in from the sea. The roar of countless droplets hitting the sea (similar to the roar of a crowd at a grid-ball game) did not have a direct effect on the denizens of the deep. Unlike the birds above, they moved about as usual, mostly thinking of finding things to eat, and Willie's offerings were snatched up just as often as when the rain was not falling. Gradually, Willie became completely soaked. Someone carrying an umbrella would spend all their attention trying carefully to avoid getting wet. Not Willie. He could care less. His stiff, dirty, salt-encrusted trousers and shirt were undergoing a slow-motion wash and rinse cycle, and tomorrow, after drying, would feel softer and more comfortable, no detergent needed, thank you.

Watching Willie, you might think that his very still, relaxed pose suggested that he was partially asleep, but you would be quite wrong. With all the bouncing up and down and disturbance of the ocean surface, he had to be twice as alert to any indication of a catch. The "one that got away" would be the one that would have been his breakfast. And although his distant ancestry might have collected a few genes of a Norwegian or Scandinavian nature, he did not consider an anchovy breakfast (or a sardine) to be sufficiently gourmet. "Them little things are mostly bones," he knew. Gradually, his thoughts turned to the new member of the Stardew Valley community. He wondered if she was using her fishing pole and having any luck. One way to find out would be to post a reward by Pierre's door. After mulling it over, he decided to offer a small prize to someone who could bring him three carp. These were the easiest fish to catch, and the truth be told, no one would re-purchase the carp from him. They are not as unappetizing and icky as a slime jack, but they do run a close second. Much later, when Willie was back inside his shack writing the note, he wrote in parenthesis that, "The winner of the prize could keep the fish."

 

[Dr. eeL]

Nellie Mae-8

On Saturdays, Willie liked to change up his schedule a bit, take a day off from tending the shop, and go river fishing. For the most part, he simply took his buckets and gear, walked across the beach, over the little bridge that connected the beach to the village, and found his comfortable resting spot in the grass next to the river's edge. Here, he was somewhat hidden on two sides by bushes. He was also close enough to the bridge such that it blocked the view of passerbyers, keeping Willie somewhat hidden. From here, in his private place of quiet, he could survey the river waters, hear the sounds of nearby villagers, and watch people come and go across the bridge. The bridge itself arched over the water, shadowing the moving blue waters with a deeper hue. Here, shaded from the sun, smallmouth bass found shelter, keeping their heads against the slight current with minimal effort. If something fell into the water on the sunny side, it would sparkle in the light as it twisted and turned, tempting for a hungry fish to dart out from the safety of the shadows but just momentarily, and enabling a quick retreat back to the company of its companions. This spring morning, Willie would certainly keep a bass, but he was out hunting for shad. It was a popular fish to sell, as it had a delicate flavor that many enjoyed, a flavor that had no need for the embellishment of spices and sauces. He stuck his hand in the water and felt the temperature. "Yep. Warm enough and just about right," he thought. Many years of observation had taught Willie that ocean shad would wait until the spring weather warmed up the river, and that this was the environmental signal for the fish to enter the rivers and to swim upstream to spawn. At the moment, however, the shapes in the water were too sturdy to be shad, so Willie put a spinner on his line, and cast it where a rock created a small eddy. "Bingo!" The first catch of the day was a smallmouth bass.

The first traveler of the day on the bridge happened to be the new farmer, carrying a load of wood. She never saw Willie, and continued on her way, walking out into the sand, turning left, walking past Elliott's cottage, and out of sight. A couple of fish for Willie later, two more villagers crossed over, Sam and Vincent, who continued across the beach and in the distance began to play by the water's edge. Willie knew that life couldn't be all too easy for these two. Jodi was one of his steadier customers, and because her husband was declared "missing" in the war, the amount of money the government paid out to her in a monthly allotment was not her husband's usual salary, but instead was the very much smaller "death benefit." Not only was that ominous in itself but trying to raise two hungry boys on a fraction of the family's normal income was nearly impossible. Willie knew that fish and vegetables were sometimes all that Jodi could afford, and he always made sure that when it came to fish, she received one of his bigger ones at a steep discount. "Strike!" Another smallmouth bass. Once it was in the bucket, he looked up, and could see the new farmer, now visible again, on the beach foraging for shells. Elliott appeared by Willie's dock, and it looked like both he and the farmer were talking. Looking down again into the water, he saw it, a shad. The long fish made no deviation left or right but swam like it was in a hurry and following a path that seemed so familiar. Then there were two more. Willie quickly shifted bait, and secretly hoped that these three fish were the first of many, that maybe they were a bit tuckered out from a long trip and wouldn't mind stopping for one last bite to eat on their journey upstream to the spawning grounds of the lake. He was right, and his timing could not have been better. Today turned out to be a good day for Willie. Dozens zoomed by, but many of those that he did catch were fat with eggs. The ground behind him was now littered with fish, and he heard Vincent squeal with delight, as he encountered the sight. Both Sam and Vincent stood and watched Willie at work and marveled at the beautiful fish. Willie looked up at Sam and said, "Go ahead. Pick one out and take er home." Vincent looked up and said, "Can I?" Sam handed him a fish, and using both arms to hold on tight, Vincent ran for home, taking care not to trip along the way. "Thanks, Willie. I know that mom really appreciates what you do for us," responded Sam. "No problem. You just keep takin care of that young'un of yours," replied Willie. "I will. And thanks again for the fish," said Sam, as he turned to follow his brother. Willie also turned to look back at the river, and now the disturbance caused by the migration of many fins was no longer visible. The run was done, at least for now. He stood up and muttered to himself, "Time to get these fish home and on ice." Today's haul would still need a lot of work.

 

[Dr. eeL]

Nellie Mae-9

This particular Wednesday is a Stardew Valley holiday, the Spring Dance, and Willie joined the straggling crowd of villagers taking the familiar stroll to the meadow. Pierre's stand was up, the flags were out, and many of the dance participants were in costume. Willie steered clear of the main group and stood quietly watching the bubbling waters of a small brook. To his surprise, he was joined there by the new farmer, Mandy. "Hi Willie. It looks like I'm in the right place for the dance. I received this note in the mail," she revealed. "Hallo, young lady. Yes, this is it. Speakin of notes, did you see mine for catchin three of them carp?" he asked. "I did and I will. Not today, of course, but as soon as I get a chance, I'm looking forward to try and catch them for you," she replied. "Today's note said I could dance if I wanted to. What kind of dance is it and how does one join in?" Mandy wanted to know. "Well, tain't much of a dance. You just mimic what the other girls are doin and you'll be fine. The tricky part is grabbin yourself a partner," Willie replied. "Anybody out there catch your eye?" he added. Mandy surveyed the crowd, and her eye kept returning to the group centered about Robin and her family. "I don't recall seeing that dark-haired guy talking to Maru before," she observed. "That's Sebastian. He's not out and about much, so today's as good of a day as any if you want to meet him," said Willie. "Just go on up and introduce yerself and ask. If he says no, however, don't take it to heart. He's a hard one to get to know." "He looks very cu . . . interesting. Wish me luck, because I'm going to try," said the eager Mandy. Willie watched as she approached her target and could see Robin's family making introductions. He also watched as Mandy and Sebastian briefly separated from the group and began talking together. But it didn't take either a lip- or mind-reader to see Sebastian shaking his head no and pointing to Abigale. Mandy was destined to be left watching from the sidelines. When the dance started, Willie walked up and joined the main group, standing next to Vincent to take in the festivities. Mandy stood off by herself, looking a bit downcast.

After the dance, it was time for the annual village softball tournament. Some of the older crowd, like Willie, excused themselves from play and sat in the grass to watch. For the rest, Abigale and Alex were co-captains and chose the teams. Mandy's off day was continuing to fill itself out when she had the honor of being picked last (just after Penny). There were not enough gloves for even one team, so the girls got the gloves, and handed them off to the girls on the other team when each took the field in turn. Despite the ragged nature of the field and play, there was not a lot of scoring, and in the final inning, the game was tied at two apiece. Alex's team was up first, and he led off with a towering fly ball that everyone could see was a home run. He started out towards first base on a home run trot, but simply walked the rest of the way around the bases. Actually, it could have been two or three home runs, as Mandy and the other two girls in the outfield just watched as the ball flew high over their heads and rolled and rolled down the modest incline in the meadow. it was their only ball, and someone had to get it, so Mandy took the long walk to retrieve it. Now it was the final chance for Abigale's team. Two of her players made quick outs, and Abigale walked up to the plate as her team's last chance. Playing shortstop, Alex snickered, and couldn't resist getting in a few digs on who picked the better team. Abigale followed with a sharply hit single back up the middle, just out of reach of Alex. The next batter was Mandy. Thus far, she had only managed to strike out twice, confirming what was obvious, that she had never played softball in her life. Standing on first, Abigale yelled out to Mandy to, "Swing hard" and so Mandy did. The bat caught just a little piece of the ball, and it rolled all of about ten feet and stopped. Mandy took off for first running like a rabbit. The catcher, third base, and pitcher on Alex's team all hesitated. Not Alex. He swooped in on the full run and released a fireball towards his first baseman, who happened to be Leah. The ball, Mandy, and Leah's glove all conspired to arrive at the same exact spot simultaneously. What broke up the symmetry was that Leah wanted no part of Alex's fireball, and let it go screaming past her, rolling far away. Abigale and Mandy kept running and both scored as no one bothered to retrieve Alex's throw. Mandy's ten-foot dribbler turned out to be the game winning home run, and Abigale wasted no time in letting Alex know a little something about girl power. Mandy has the biggest smile, as she was surrounded by countless congratulators, and Willie couldn't help but note that one of them was Sebastian.

 

[Jayamos]

Love the description of the fish in #7.

 

[Dr. eeL]

Love the description of the fish in #7.

The number of different fish species in Stardew Valley is really quite astonishing. If you ask Willie, he might mumble about not giving away some of his fish secrets but build up a few hearts with him and he'll prove to be a fountain of knowledge.

 

[Dr. eeL]

Nellie Mae-10

The soft "ding" of the bell behind the door of Willie's shack caught the fisherman dozing behind the counter. Startled, he looked up and tried to place the face of his visitor. His problem was compounded by the observation that he couldn't make out any face, as it was shrouded in a blue wrap. Finally, recognition hit him, as his memory brought back into awareness one of the visitors from the Night Market. "Hallo. Come on in," Willie said, unnecessarily. From somewhere behind the pair of glowing eyes, a low voice replied, "I want to charter your boat." "Okay. No problem. Any special place you want to go? I also offer day trips for fishing." "Rock Island," the low voice stated. "Rock Island? Now that's a rare one," replied Willie. Willie knew all the local islands by name and memory, and no one had ever requested a trip to Rock Island before. "I can get you there, but there's no dock. You'll have to put yerself ashore in the skiff." "Tomorrow. At sunrise," concluded the voice.

The next morning was the 26th day of spring, and Willie was out and about even before a glow lit up the Eastern sky. Today, the Nellie Mae was going to have a tender, actually a decrepit rowboat fastened to her stern. Not having used the rowboat for some time, Willie secured the oars and checked it out for leaks. His customer for the day was prompt and carried a small package and a shovel. Willie added the shovel to the rowboat and invited his guest on board the Nellie Mae. There was no conversation. During the trip out, Willie found that Rock Island was almost directly in line with the rising sun and had to shield his eyes from the brightness. His guest stared straight ahead, unmoving. Willie was a bit cautious pulling a rowboat and kept the Nellie Mae without much of a wake. Gradually, the sun rose higher in the sky, making it easier to see. Rock Island certainly lived up to its name. The small piece of land poked up out of the sea entirely ringed with piles of large rocks. There were no real trees, but a ring of tall bushes masked the interior of the island. True to Willie's memory, the Nellie Mae made a slow circle about the island with no place to land. Suddenly, a gap appeared amongst the rocks, about six feet wide, exposing a small landing point of sand. Stacked on either side of the gap were all the rocks that had been moved out to create the opening, some quite huge. Although it was obvious that these rocks had been moved, Willie couldn't imagine how it was done, as their weight had to be enormous. For a brief second, it remotely reminded him of the Stonehenge monument. Willie brought the Nellie Mae in as close as he dared, pulled the rowboat alongside, and watched as his guest boarded. "I'll be waiting for you here. Take all the time you want," offered Willie, as he untied the rowboat. His guest made no reply and two robe covered hands grabbed the oars and set off for the opening. Later, as the sun now rose high in the sky, Willie saw that his guest had returned to the rowboat and was making his way back to the Nellie Mae. Willie offered his hand to help him out of the rowboat and back over the Nellie Mae's rail, but the arm in the blue robe was either invisible or empty. Shrugging his shoulders, Willie tied up the rowboat to Nellie Mae's stern, and fired up the diesels for the return trip. Back home, once the Nellie Mae was secured, Willie followed his guest through the backdoor of his shack. From somewhere inside his robe, the stranger pulled out a heavy bag of gold and plopped it on Willie's desk. The blue robed stranger than turned and left the shop. His only words were, "Keep the change." As Willie looked into the bag, the golden glow of dozens of coins looked back, and he instantly knew that this one trip alone was worth more than many many fishing trips.

There was a little time left in the day, so Willie walked over to the museum to have a chat with Gunther about the history of Rock Island. Gunter pulled out a dusty book and read to Willie some of what was known. Stardew Valley had been inhabited by many different peoples, over countless years. Although the outer islands could not be seen from the valley, Rock Island was just on the outer periphery. As the rising sun's position moved relative to the horizon, on the 26th of spring, it would line up directly behind the island and the valley, and by a quirk of refraction, the island would for a short span of five or six minutes become a glowing point of light on the distant horizon. Although it was something that only happened for a few moments once a year, people in those times paid more attention to the natural occurrences of their surroundings, and the event became widely known. Seeing the glow became sort of an eye test for the natives, much in the same way as splitting the twin star in the handle of the Great Bear in the sky. The natives believed that when someone died, their essence would race away from the planet and merge with other life. The body, in contrast would be left behind to rejoin with the earth. Gradually, Rock Island merged with religious beliefs, and it became a burial site; the interior of the island built up low mounds of dirt containing the remains of distant ancestors. As Gunther stopped reading and closed the book, Willie couldn't help but think that despite the passage of centuries, the island tomb was not forgotten.

 

[Dr. eeL]

Nellie Mae-11

Willie looked up as the door opened into his shop. It was Mandy. "Hi Willie. Do you pay for bait?" "Shore nuff, Mandy. Me pappy used to say that if it smells it sells." "That's good to hear. I was trying to catch your three carp when I also accidentally hooked onto an old chest full of bait." "Well, it's not unusual to find old chests of stuff around here. It's the least I can do to make this one worth your while," he added. "There's more," reported Mandy excitedly. "I actually caught a big-mouth bass! It was on the line, and I kept trying and trying to bring him in, but every time I thought that I had him, he just took off on me. Finally. Finally, I managed to bring him in." "Well, that's quite a catch, young lady. Big-mouth bass are big ole fish and tough on rookies. Congratulations," replied Willie enthusiastically. "I found this comfortable place by the fence next to the lake, and guess what, in the evening Sebastian came out and stood by the lake." "He's been known to do that," observed Willie. "I didn't let him know that I was there, and it was just as well because he started smoking, and I can't stand the smell of cigarettes," Mandy continued. "Well, maybe if he knew that you were there, and that you didn't like smoking, he might have done things a little differently," commented Willie. After collecting her coins, Mandy said, I'll be just outside for a while. I'm looking to catch a particular ocean fish for a special project." "Good for you, and good luck," replied Willie.

Willie leaned back on his chair, placed his feet on the table, and briefly closed his eyes. Time passed, but over the constant rush of the sea, his ears picked up the sounds of Mandy talking to herself in a not so friendly way. He got up, went to the door, and watched Mandy casting line after line out into the ocean. "Hi Mandy. How's it going?" "Terrible," she replied. "I haven't been very good at catching ocean fish, but I really need to catch a red snapper for the Community Center. I can hook something, but whatever it is somehow escapes every time." "Red snapper eh . . . now that we're in summer you can pretty much catch em all day. Maybe you just need a little encouragement. Let's move over to the other side of the dock." Mandy followed Willie as they crossed over to the side of the dock that didn't have Willie's shack on it. "Come on over here for a second. You see that big rock out there?" Mandy nods. "It's called the lonely stone. Watch closely how the waves touch the rock. The waves coming in just makes the waterline with the rock go up. You see that bit of green coming and going. But when the water moves back out, it forms little streams on both sides of the rock. But in the middle, the backwash from the waves leaves the water calm and quiet. That quiet calm spot is where fish go to rest. Course, resting doesn't mean that they might not take a gander at something to eat. Fact is, no fish ever turned down a tasty treat dangling in front of their noses. Cast out as far as you can and try yer luck there and see what you bring up. Hey, but before you do, hold on and I'll see what I can give you for good luck." Willie briefly disappeared into his shack, and then returned. "Let me see your hook. I'll just attach this little goody onto it and just maybe, your luck will change." Mandy watch as Willie pulled a little piece of brown gunk out of his picket and slid it over the hook. "All right. Go for it," added Willie. "Let me know what happens." "I will, and thanks," replied Mandy. It couldn't have been more than an hour later when Willie heard a loud squeal of delight coming from outside his shack. Willie opened his door, and there was Mandy holding up a red snapper. "I did it, did it, did it," she exclaimed. "You shore did it," responded Willie. "Nice lookin fish. What was your secret?" he continued. "I really only followed your directions, kept my confidence up, and thanks to your bait, everything worked wonderfully. What was in that bait anyway?" asked Mandy. Willie gave her a long slow look with one eye. "You know the story of Dumbo the elephant?" he asked. Mandy shook her head yes, "Everyone knows the story." "Well, when that elephant was worried about flyin, the crows gave him a magic feather. Right?" he asked. Again, Mandy nodded yes. Holding his feather and flapping his ears, Dumbo had the confidence he needed to fly," continued Willie. "Now was it really a magic feather?" he asked. "No, it was just an ordinary feather," replied Mandy. Willie continued, "So I just went into the shack and scrapped off a little gum or something off of the floor, rolled it into a ball, and added that magic bait to your hook." "Willie, you tricked me. I believed in your bait!" exclaimed a shocked Mandy. "Well now, seems like either you or that magic bait ended up with a red snapper," said Willie slyly. "You are so right. Willie, I can't thank you enough for everything you did for me, and most of all for helping me to believe in myself." "Anytime, young lady. Come on down to the pier and try yer luck here anytime."