The Ant Farm Chapter 1

The Ant Farm
A Stardew Valley Story
Chapter 1
A Stardew Valley play-through, intended to be mostly relaxing,
while still winning Grandpa's challenge after two years.

My name is Antony, but my friends called me Ant, because I was
always working as hard as the ant from that old fable. Workin' hard to
make it through the winter. Never relaxing with the grasshopper.
I was named after my Grampa, on my mother's side, who owned a little
farm in Stardew Valley. I was born on that farm, and how I loved it, as a
child. We were crowded, but happy. I loved the smell of green grass
and growing things.

It was just me, my Mom, and my Grampa. Grandma had died before I
was born, and I never knew my Dad, but Mom told me later that he still
lived in Pelican Town. She just didn't want to talk about him, after he
left her for the bus driver.
When Grampa died, she just couldn't take the memories there. She
packed us both up and moved us to Zuzu City, leaving it all behind.

When I first saw the Help Wanted ad for a job at Joja Corp, I jumped at
it. Something touched me deep inside, a connection I couldn't identify.
But this place was soul-crushing. Everyone who worked for Joja Corp
seemed to slowly lose their humanity, one small piece at a time.

But not Happy Sombrero Boy. He didn't work for Joja Corp. He
“worked” at Joja Corp, renting out a cubicle, so he could say, “I'm going
to the office,” when he was really going somewhere quiet to play his
video games. After all, why should a man who is already wealthy, with
a trust fund, get a job? Especially with unemployment levels so high?
He left the jobs for the people who needed them. But his “office job”
kept his girlfriend from complaining about him being too lazy.

Seeing him so happy and free made something snap in me. I still didn't
know my connection to Joja Corp, but I didn't care enough to stick
around and find out. Not anymore. I had to get away, while I still had a
soul to save.

I looked at that letter Grampa had given me, so many years ago. He
told me to open it when the time was right. It was now or never.

Imagine my surprise when I found he had left me The Ant Farm! It
wasn't much, just a little cabin on a hill, but it was now MY cabin on MY
hill. I looked at that map, and knew what I had to do.
I was going home, to Pelican Town and The Ant Farm. Yes, I would
work hard enough to have everything I need, but still take time to enjoy
life, and restore my soul. I would follow Grampa's example and take
joy in green growing things.

Author's Note: This is not from the game, itself, but from a wonderful
website, Stardew.info. It shows maps of all the variations of the farm,
and supplies tools to plan out your farm, before you start digging your
garden or building your outbuildings. It is a fantastic reference and
planning tool, and my farmer is going to use it a lot. Planning for the
future means you can save a lot of wasted effort now.

I spent the whole bus ride planning out my future farm, dreaming of
how it would look someday, and figuring out what I needed to do to get
there. Making goals without a plan is like trying to run a five star
restaurant without a recipe book. It's possible, but not very likely to
succeed, and a whole lot harder, too. I wanted to work as hard as
necessary, but not harder than I needed to. I still wanted plenty of time
and energy to LIVE my life, make friends, maybe even find love.

A nice woman named Robin met me at the bus station. She looked
vaguely familiar. Then it dawned on me that she had been my mother's
best friend when I was small. No wonder she had gone out of her way
to welcome me back to Pelican Town.
She guided me to the farm, and introduced me to the mayor, Lewis. It
seemed everyone was on a first-name basis here. How friendly!

I was shocked and dismayed to see The Ant Farm, when I first arrived.
It was nothing like I remembered. Everything had fallen into disrepair!
But Robin, bless her heart, had made repairs to the cabin, at least, and
it was cozy and snug as I remembered it. I'd have to do a lot of work to
restore the farm, but at least I had a comfortable place to live.

Mayor Lewis showed me where I can put my produce, fish, wood,
stone, and other assorted items to sell, and even offered to pick them
up, every night, while I slept. What a great service! Alternately, I could
sell them at the appropriate store in town, for immediate cash.
I looked forward to exploring the town, but I was exhausted from my
trip, and bedded down for the night. There was a lot to do tomorrow.

When I woke up, I found, to my delight, a present in my cabin. I was
eager to open it up, but decided to wait a bit, until I had done some
work on the farm. It would be a nice treat for the afternoon.

I knew I needed to clear some land for my plants, as well as a path to
the forest down south, and the mountain up north. Taking my scythe,
axe and pickaxe, I got to work.
That filled up my backpack pretty quickly, but with 50 wood in hand, I
crafted my first item: A storage chest. I plopped it down next to my
front door, and stored everything I did not need on my person, at the
time. I'd wind up swapping a lot of stuff in and out for a while.

When I opened the gift, I found fifteen parsnip seeds inside! Enough to
get me started, right?
But although I WANTED to live a more restful life, I was still in the
“work, Work, WORK” mode of Joja Corp, and decided I needed at least
48 parsnips to get me started. I had cleared enough land for it, after all.

I had already used up most of my energy, but I took the time to place
12 pivot spots, where I could stand in the middle, and dig at each
cardinal point: north, south, east and west. I staggered my pivot spots,
so that the dug up ground was covered effectively, and it would make
both planting and watering easy, while still getting as many plants as
possible in the small area. Now, with 15 free seeds, I needed 33 more
to fill all the garden plots.

I knew the general store was to the east, and started walking that way,
but stopped, when I saw some forage. I knew dandelions, horseradish
and leeks were edible, and daffodils were pretty spring flowers.
Perhaps I could sell them for cash, or eat them, to boost my energy.
Before I hit the store, I gathered as many as I could.

It was a good thing that I did, too, because not only did I get some stuff
to sell, so that I could afford to buy the seeds I needed, but I also met
Maru, the daughter of my mother's best friend. She had already been
told that I was moving in, and was looking forward to meeting me.
She was not only pretty, but SMART! We immediately hit it off. She
understood about my need to analyze and plan, and I knew I had to get
to know this woman better.

I had to get on with my work, though, and that meant foraging some
more, until I had enough to buy 33 parsnip seeds. So, I stopped
chatting, and started exploring some more, heading north to the
mountain, where I discovered Robin's carpentry shop. I didn't visit it
right away. Too busy. But I knew I'd be spending a lot of time visiting
there, getting to know Robin and Maru, and their family.

I also found Linus, a sort of hermit who had pitched his tent in the
mountains. He seemed a nice enough chap, if a bit nervous. I thought
I'd like to get to know him better. Someone as experienced in the ways
of nature as he was might have something useful to teach me. Or we
could just hang out and chat. At any rate, I looked forward to making
friends.

I had gathered enough forage to sell, and it was time to go to the
general store, before it closed. I needed 160 more gold coins to afford
the parsnip seeds.
I saved a single horseradish, though, because I needed the energy, to
dig my garden plots. It would not be enough. I had to get some more
energy before I could plant my “west forty” farm allotment.

I decided to go to the forest, and see if I could gather some fresh spring
onions to eat. I knew they wouldn't fetch a good price, if I sold them,
but they were free, available, and would give me small boosts of energy
to keep me going through the coming days.

Down in the south-east corner of the forest, across the river, I found the
spring onions. They tasted as good as I remembered! You just couldn't
get food this fresh in Zuzu City!
I made a circuit of the forest on my way back home, searching for more
forage as I went, and then hit the sack. It had been a long day, but it
was worth it. I didn't find much. Two onions and a couple of
horseradish, but it would be enough to dig and plant.

It was already dark by the time I got home. After snacking and planting,
I didn't have enough energy to water. That would have to wait for the
morning. But I was satisfied with my day's work. And evening's work.
And night's work. It was late when I finally hit the sack.

I got to bed after midnight, but despite my exhaustion, I was happier
than I had been at Joja Corp. I felt fulfilled, and like I had actually
accomplished something worthwhile.
The old memories of fresh air and green grass filled my dreams, and I
felt closer to nature than I had in twenty years.

I began Tuesday morning by watching a bit of television. There wasn't
much on, just the weather and fortune teller. I found out it would rain
tomorrow, which made me very happy.
In the city, I hated the rain. It was just so gloomy. But here on the farm,
I knew it would save me the time and trouble (and energy!) of watering,
and I could focus on other things.

When I stepped outside, I noticed the flag was up on my mailbox. The
postal service is really early here. They must come during the night,
possibly at the same time that Mayor Lewis's sales service operates.
I opened the letter, and was pleased to find an invitation from someone
named Willy. He said he had something to show me, if I would go to
the beach, sometime before five o'clock.

Curious about the invitation, I wasted no time watering my crops. As
soon as I was done, I stashed the few things I had picked up last night
on my way home from the forest, as well as the tools I thought I
wouldn't need to take with me. I had enough wood in my chest to build
another chest, and that seemed like it might be handy, so I built it, and
carried it with me to the beach.

I did take the time to make a quick swing down south east, to check for
some more spring onions, though. The old “work, work, work” feeling
was upon me, and I wanted enough energy to do more, more, more. It
wasn't even noon, yet, and I was already feeling tired and peckish, so
imagine my delight to find eight of these tasty onions waiting for me.

I didn't want to waste any energy, so I kept my scythe equipped,
because swinging it spends no energy. I did keep my hatchet and my
hoe, in case I found anything worth chopping or digging. I had heard
there were earthworms buried around town, and if I dug them up, I
might find some buried treasures!
Along the path, I took a chance, and dug in the neighbors' trash cans,
on the off chance I'd find something useful. No luck today, though.

I headed south, crossed the bridge, and found the beach. The smell of
salty sea air was strong, pungent, and refreshing.
So much better than the air in Zuzu City.

Willy, it turned out, ran the local fishing shop. He had just upgraded his
fishing pole, and generously gave me his old bamboo pole. He said it
was important to keep the art of fishing alive. I think he just wanted
someone to swap “it was THIS BIG” stories with.
Also, he offered to buy anything I fished up or any seashells I foraged
on the beach. Sweet!

I placed my storage chest just to the east of the fishing shop's door. I
knew it would be safely out of the way there, and yet convenient for me
to store my catch.
With only twelve slots in my backpack, I needed to have room to
manage my inventory, and a close-by chest was just the thing!
Author's Note: Careful where you put things. If it's in a villager's path, they'll walk right over it and
destroy it, forever. I will show you precise safe places to put your things around town.

It took a while to get the hang of fishing. I caught my first fish, but lost
the second one. I just couldn't seem to keep it on the hook long
enough to reel it in.

Eventually, I started to get a feel for it. I realized that if I pulled too
hard, and held on too tight, the hook would zoom up to the surface of
the water, and if I twitched it really fast, it would go kind of wild. If I left
it alone, it would drop quickly. Finally, I found a sort of medium rhythm,
where I would twitch the hook, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly,
depending on what sort of action I saw from the fish, and I started
reeling in some aquatic prizes.

Sometimes, I caught fish. Sometimes I caught seaweed, and
sometimes I caught litter. I decided to hang onto it all. I certainly
wasn't going to toss the litter back into the ocean!
Anyway, Zuzu City had recycling centers. Surely Pelican Town would,
too? Or maybe I could ship my recycling away for processing?
Anyway, no littering!

Fishing took quite a bit of energy – eight points per cast! But the
seaweed I caught was edible. And I knew the trick to cutting up raw
fish to make a kind of sushi-dish, on the fly. In other words, I could eat
the small fish I caught, rather than sell them, just to keep me going,
while I learned how to catch the really valuable fish. It seemed like a
good trade-off to me. I decided to keep going like that, and save the
onions for another day.

One time, to my surprise and delight, I managed to hook not only a fish,
but a treasure chest, as well!
It was a challenge to catch both the fish and the treasure chest, at the
same time. I had to wait until the fish was almost reeled in, before I
could aim at the treasure chest, while the fish tried to wriggle free, but
then I snagged the chest, and went back to finish off the fish.

Inside the chest, I found some wood and some fishing bait. How
useful!
I made it a goal to catch treasure chests, every chance I could.

In the evening, Willy came out to join me. We fished in companionable
silence for a few more hours, with me noshing on small fish and
seaweed, and storing the litter and better fish.

Yes, I was starting to catch some higher quality fish. I kept anything
with a silver star, and saved one regular quality sardine. Something
told me I would need it later. It was as if a voice in my head was telling
me what to do, like the magic of Stardew Valley had a power over me.

At ten o'clock, Willy went into the shop for bed. Before he left, though,
he told me that he often ended the evening at the Stardrop Saloon, with
a good drink to warm him after a wet day fishing.
I thought I would join him there, one evening. But for tonight, I was still
obsessed with fishing.

At the end of the day, I had quite a nice haul, including three frozen
geodes. I wasn't quite sure what to do with them, but I knew I would
find out.
Something told me to hold onto them, until the fortune teller told me the
spirits were very happy, and would shower everyone with good fortune.
So, I left them in my storage chest with my fish. I knew they would not
go bad, and I could sell them later, when I was ready.

By 10:30, I was ready for bed. I had literally zero energy left, and just
enough time to get to bed by midnight.
Quickly, I equipped my scythe, so I would not accidentally exhaust
myself, and ran back home.
It was a good day, and rather restful just waiting for the fish to bite,
while breathing in the good sea air.

Again, I slept well, and felt very fulfilled.

The next morning, it rained, and since I did not have to pay any heed to
my crops, I headed straight for the forest and the spring onions, and
then right to the beach.
This time, I stopped to gather seashells, and to dig at the earthworms I
found.

Buried treasure, indeed! I dug up lumps of gold ore!
I also collected a mussel, and a clam shell. Something told me to keep
them both, rather than sell them to Willy, although I knew he would
accept them.
After that, I went right to my storage chest, stashed my goodies, and
started to fish. I fished all day long.

I made a point of trying to catch every treasure chest, and am I glad I
did! Some of them only held a bit of fishing bait or a rock or something
small like that. But every now and again, I came across some real
treasures!
When I examined them, I realized that they were very interesting, and I
was determined to save one of each of the minerals I found. Extras,
though, I would sell. More money equals more seeds!

A/N: And then, I was completely stupid, and clicked “OK,” before I
actually collected all the treasure! Multiple topazes, a diamond, some
geodes and some coal! Nooooooo!
This is not the first time I've made this mistake, either. Well, I'll just
have to be more careful, in future. I know for a fact I will find all these
things again, soon enough. And I'm supposed to be relaxing, here, so I
sing “Let It Go,” and move on.

Just before ten, I was really starting to feel tired. In fact, I should have
stopped, but I just wasn't thinking clearly. The allure of the sea was too
much.
I caught an eel, which was good, but it pushed me into negative energy,
and I was exhausted.

A/N: This is what happens when you don't stop fishing in time.
Remember, each cast costs 8 points (until you level up to 10, when it
settles at 7 points. Between low levels and 10, though, it can vary
between 8 and seven, so always figure on 8, until you max your fishing
skill).

I was so sluggish from exhaustion, I knew I'd never make it home in
time for bed at midnight, so I ate my last seaweed, which perked me up
a bit. I was still exhausted, but I could at least move again.
In fact, it gave me enough energy for one more cast. After that, I
grabbed my scythe and ran for home and bed.

A/N: The first time you do this, the game gives you a freebie, and you'll
wake up the next day with full energy. After that, however, if will
penalize you for being exhausted when you go to bed. You'll wake up
with only half your energy!
So, avoid exhaustion, or invest in medicine from the clinic, to get rid of
the Exhausted state, before you go to bed.

I felt more accomplished than before.

A LOT more accomplished than before.
Despite losing out on some wonderful treasure, I was satisfied with my
day. Surely, I would recoup the loss. After all, it had been an
unexpected windfall, in the first place, so it was not as if I had lost
anything I already had.
All in all, I'd say it was a good day.

I checked the mail Thursday morning and got a nice note from Robin,
telling me that she could upgrade my house, if I wanted it. I'd have to
supply the raw materials, and pay a fee, but I could have a kitchen, and
cook more wholesome food. It would be more satisfying than just
eating onions and seaweed. I couldn't afford it now, but it was
something to plan for, in the future.
After I watered the plants, I thought I'd explore the farm some more.

I was glad I did. In the southwest portion of my hilltop farm was a
private quarry, filled with good things. There was plenty of opportunity
for me to collect the stone I'd need to upgrade my house, and build
other things on the farm. There were copper ore nodes, and some
geode nodes, as well! And I even spotted a few earthworms, signifying
spots to dig for buried treasure. What a day!

Mostly, I just dug up clay. But clay is a valuable resource, and I was
glad of it.
With my inventory filling up, I decided to run back to the house, shuffle
my inventory, and get some wood for another chest. In fact, I wanted
wood for two chests. I'd set up storage “camps” at strategic places
around the farm, and around town, as well.

The mining wiped out my energy, so I spent the rest of my daylight
hours scything all the weeds that had sprouted up around the farm. I
wanted to make as many clear paths around as I could, so I would not
waste time in a maze of debris.
In my exploration, I found something interesting at the northern part of
the farm.

There was a cave, as well as the ruins of an old building. From the
glass scattered about, I figured it might have once been a greenhouse.
I wondered if Robin could rebuild it. I'd probably have to save up for it,
of course, but the thought of a greenhouse cheered me immensely. I
could farm right through the winter, if I had a greenhouse!
That was something else to figure out and plan for, which was my idea
of a fun time. Planning is like daydreaming, for geeks like me.

As the sun went down, I carried my chest back to the quarry and placed
it in the grassy area just to the east of the soil. Then, I ate a few more
onions, and finished mining the copper ore I had been obliged to leave
behind, before.
I didn't mine the geodes, yet, because I ran out of onions.

But once again, my determination paid off.

Friday morning dawned dim and wet. RAIN! Hooray! Rain is a
farmer's best friend, next to sunshine. Well, I supposed I needed both,
in moderation.
Anyway, I would be free to use all my energy on other things this day.

In addition, I felt very lucky, and I just knew that good things were in
store for me.
I looked up at the crossed pickaxes my Grampa had hung on the wall,
decades before. “I want to learn more about mining,” I said to myself.
“I wonder where I can go to find more rocks to break, and maybe more
copper ore.”

I went outside to find the mail had been delivered, and there was a
stranger standing on my front step.

His name was Clint, and he was the local blacksmith. He told me he
would buy my ores, sell me ores, or use metal bars I had made to
upgrade my tools. He would also process my geodes, and purchase
minerals I found.
But best of all, he gave me a gift: instructions on how to craft my own
furnace! Now, with metal ores and coal, I could smelt my own metal
bars, for use in crafting, building, and tool upgrades.

There were two letters in the mail, today. The first was from Willy,
telling me he could sell me a better fishing pole, which would allow me
to attach bait to attract the fish faster.
I could not afford it, but I kept it in mind for future plans.

The second letter gave me a jolt. Had Joja Corp followed me to
Pelican Town? No. Joja Corp was probably already here. They were
all over the place, and had been for as long as I could remember.
Still, the news of a cleared landslide intrigued me. “Drilling operation?”
Could that be something related to mining? I decided to check it out.

Mining takes plenty of energy, so I went to the forest to get more
onions, and as I was doing a sweep of the forest for other forage, I
came across a traveling saleswoman.
She told me she came to Cindersap forest every Friday and Sunday,
and I looked at her wares. They were very interesting, and some would
have been useful, but I did not have the money to pay that day. She
told me the stock rotated every day, so I'd have to take my chances.

I went up through my farm, and took the northern pass to the
mountains, but came back. I had found one of each type of spring
forage, and I wanted to store them in my chest.
Once again, a voice in my head seemed to be telling me to save one of
each type of spring forage, except the onions, and I trusted my gut.
I also made some field snacks out of tree seeds, for food.

A/N: Horseradish is more likely in the forest, leeks more likely in the
mountain and the mountain pass, daffodils seem to prefer town, and
dandelions seem to grow wherever. They all grow all over, of course,
but some things are more likely in certain places.

Although I was eager to explore the landslide in the mountains, I
stopped by Robin's house, for a brief visit with her family.
Maru told me about her experiments. They have their own home lab,
for chemistry, and she does more mechanical experiments in her
bedroom.
Swoon! She's so attractive.

Finally, I made my way to the place where the landslide had been, just
to the north of the mountain lake, and east of a strange glittering
boulder in the cliff face.
I found something very interesting. There WAS a mine!

I walked inside, and found I was not the only one exploring.
Marlon was there. He told me he runs the Adventurer's Guild, right
outside and to the east.

He also told me that he was sure there was more than stone and ore
down that mine shaft. He was an old man, and experienced, and
although he knew how to wield a blade, he wasn't up for it, anymore.
So he gave me an old rusty blade to get me started, and wished me
luck in the mine.

Before I went down the mineshaft, I placed the chest I had brought with
me. I knew it would be safe here. Not many townsfolk would be up for
exploring the mines, after all.
And it would give me a place to store things, between trips down the
mine.

The first couple of floors were empty, except for rocks that were just
waiting for me to break them. I was glad I had food to eat, to restore
my energy, but I also knew it would heal me, if necessary.

Each time I broke a rock and revealed a ladder beneath it, I made sure
to equip my sword, rather than my pickaxe, so I'd be ready for any
monsters that might be below.
I'd hate to climb down a ladder right into the jaws of a monster waiting
at the bottom of it.

I was glad I did, because on the third level, I started running into
monsters. The green slimes weren't too hard to take down. But only
because I was not caught unprepared.
I found a quartz, which was something I wanted to hold on to, and
examine further, when I got out of the mine. But I was starting to really
wish I had a bigger backpack. Something had to give.

When I got down to the fifth level, the elevator opened up, as if it were
waiting for me.
I was tired, and my backpack was full, so I took it for a sign to go home.
But I knew I would come back and explore these mines, all the way to
the bottom, eventually.

The next morning, I found out that the spirits were very happy. I would
be lucky.
I knew that a day like today would be the ideal time to break open my
geodes, but that would cost money. Clint had told me he charged 25
gold coins per geode, so I had to get enough money to manage it.
Plus, I'd need more seeds to keep the farm going.

Pierre must have been some sort of a mind reader.
But his idea of “affordable” and mine were two different things. He
charged 2000 gold. Even with my parsnip crop ready for harvest, I
could not expect that much, and I still needed the seeds.
I'd have to continue to shuffle the inventory with the storage chests for
a while longer.

To add insult to injury, some of my parsnips were gone! They had been
eaten by crows, in the night.
I needed to learn how to make a scarecrow, right away!
A/N: I chose 48 parsnips because it would provide exactly enough experience to reach
farming level 2. I should have chosen 50 or 52, though, to account for the crows. Oh,
well.

I didn't yet know how to craft a scarecrow, but I found the perfect spot
for one, and laid down a wooden marker for it. Then, I made another
chest with my remaining wood.
I placed one of the normal parsnips in my home chest, and kept the
others. I put my new chest in my home chest, for now, then went to my
farm quarry to gather all my geodes. I was going to sell parsnips and
crack open geodes with the proceeds, today!

I still needed a few more copper ore before I could build a furnace, and
even more to smelt after that, so I considered going to the mine, as
well. I knew I could place a furnace right here, next to my quarry
storage chest, if I wanted to, but I had other ideas, as well.
After all, who says you have to have only one furnace? I wanted
convenience, after all.

In the end, I decided I'd rather fish today. So, I got my gear and
headed into town toward the beach, and was greeted by Mayor Lewis.
He showed me the Pelican Town Community Center. It looked about
as good as my farm had when I first showed up.

He confessed that he was tempted to just sell the land to Joja Corp.
That name again! When I heard him say that if one more person in
Pelican Town bought a membership to Joja Corp, he would make the
deal, chills ran down my spine.
That connection to Joja calls out to me, but not in a friendly way. This
is a mystery crying out to be solved.

Speaking of mysteries to be solved...
I saw something very strange in that community center. Something that
made me jump higher than Lewis's head!
He told me it was probably just a rat, but I've never seen a rat like that
before. I was determined to investigate further. Lewis said he'd leave
me to it.

In what had once been a craft room, I saw another one of those “rats,”
standing next to a golden scroll. When I approached, it disappeared.

I tried reading the golden scroll, but it was in some sort of alien
language. I had no hope of reading it.
The mystery would not be solved that day.

So, I went to the general store to sell my produce. Then, I took the
money, my geodes, and swung by my beach stash to pick up the frozen
geodes I had received from a treasure chest, and jogged on over to
Clint's smithy.

I ran out of room in my inventory, but Clint told me to take the minerals
to the museum, just to the south of him, and that Gunther there might
be able to help me out.
I wasn't sure how a museum could help me with a full inventory, but I
took the advice, anyway.

As soon as I walked in, it was obvious what Clint meant. This was a
museum in name only.
Even the library shelves left much to be desired.
Gunther expressed his dismay at the situation, but was delighted when
I showed him my backpack. He promised to reward me, if I continued
to bring him new things.

Sure enough, as soon as I handed over those five minerals, Gunther
gave a yelp of joy, and told me he was ready to give me a reward, right
now!

I gladly accepted the cauliflower seeds he provided. I needed forty-
three more seeds, but cauliflower seeds would have been the most
expensive.
I decided to head back to the store, while it was still open, and
purchase a variety of seeds. I wanted some green beans and
potatoes, as well as more parsnips.

Nine free cauliflowers, two green bean starters, two potato seeds, and
thirty-six parsnip seeds left me with 661 gold coins.
Not enough for a bigger backpack, but it was a start. I was glad to be
turning a profit, at last.
What was even better, when I checked my journal, I found that Gunther
had slipped in another reward, of 250 coins!

I went back to the farm, and stared in confusion at the one parsnip that
had grown more slowly than the others. It was going to throw off my
whole count.
That voice inside my head told me not to worry about it, and just save
the replanting until tomorrow. There would be plenty of time, then, and
I could spend this evening fishing at the mountain lake.

Just as I had done at the beach, I set up a “remote camp” in an out of
the way place. To the south was a small spit of land, from which I could
cast my line into deep waters, and catch some high quality fish. And I
could store my catch, until I was ready to sell it, or do something else
with it. That voice said to hold onto it, for a while, yet.

I saw some bubbles in the water, and cast my hook into them, and was
rewarded with a very quick bite, almost as if my hook had been baited!
That was very nice.
It was also fun to collect some different kinds of fish from the ones I had
caught at the ocean. Willy told me that different fish swim in different
places, and some won't bite unless the weather or season are just
right. Strange.

A/N: If you see bubbles in good, deep water (far from shore and dark
blue), try to aim for them. If you need to, cast your line, and while it's
going out, press the WASD keys to help direct it.
Generally, I prefer to face south to fish, partly because snacking
automatically turns me to face south, anyway, but bubbles give a really
fast response time!

A/N, again: I'm very fond of the “it's not a glitch; it's a feature” time-
freeze property of clicking on the Journal “!” button in the top right of the
screen. It will allow you to wait for the fish to bite, without any time
passing in the game (and it also stops you from passing out after 2
am). However, for this game, I'm going for “restful,” which means not
racing the clock, and I am eschewing that feature. Mostly. OK, it will be
a tough habit to break.

Just before eleven o'clock, I headed back home. I still had energy, but I
wanted a full night's sleep, because I knew I'd be busy planting and
watering in the morning, and needed all my energy.
Still, I had enjoyed the fishing, and looked forward to tomorrow's
adventures. Who knew what I could expect next?

That night, the solution to my crow problem came to me, in my dreams.
Have you ever had that happen to you?
I also figured out that if I took the sap from trees, I could use it to
fertilize the soil, making anything I planted grow to a higher level of
quality. It wasn't guaranteed, of course, but the chances of silver and
gold stars would be much higher. Since it had to be added to the soil
before the seeds were planted, I was glad I had waited a day.

I also felt more at home in the forest, and found new and interesting
ways to eat.
That upgraded house with a kitchen was looking more interesting, all
the time.

On Sunday morning, I checked the morning programs, as usual, and
discovered a new one! There was a cooking show on, and I learned a
new recipe.
I'm really starting to want that kitchen. Ah, well. Spring onions and
seaweed will do for now.

I got a very intriguing letter in the mail the next morning. Apparently,
Pelican Town has a resident wizard, and he heard about my reaction to
the “rat” I saw. Darn Lewis for a gossip, but still, I decided to go talk to
the man. The wizard, that is.
But not until I had sorted out my next planting.

I also got a very strange letter from “hat mouse.” I supposed the “old
haus” is that shack I saw at the south side of the Cindersap forest. But
I wasn't interested in hats just then. Especially not hats that cost
“coines.”

Apparently I miscounted, as I wound up with one parsnip seed left. No
matter. I'd want another batch of parsnips within four or five days,
anyway.
I planted the green beans to the north, because the trellises would
make them difficult to maneuver around, if they were in between other
plants and such. But this way, I had easy access on all sides.

I was low on energy and onions, so I went to the forest for forage, and
stopped off a the wizard's tower on the west side of the forest. He
showed me one of those same creatures I saw in the community
center!
Then he complained that they refused to talk to him.

When I told him about the golden scroll I had found, he just had to go
investigate for himself. He told me to wait, and teleported away.
A few minutes later, he was back again, with news.

He was able to decipher the golden scroll. It said that the creatures
were Junimos, and that they were happy to help anyone who was at
one with the forest. All they asked in exchange was the gifts of the
valley. Or words to that effect. Translation of an alien language is not
an exact science.

Wizards don't often experiment on themselves, so he convinced me to
drink his potion, made from forest ingredients.

That was pretty potent stuff! What a trip!
But it was worth it. At the end, I felt imbued with a knowledge of the
language of the Junimos, and no longer needed the wizard to translate
for me. I could read their scrolls for myself!
I knew I had to go back to that Community Center. I felt drawn to it,
now, the same way I had been drawn to Joja Corp, before.

When I got outside again, I felt different. It was as if the Junimos were
talking to me. It felt different than that other voice in my head.
Was I losing my grip on reality?
Something told me, though, that if I concentrated, I could know what
the Junimos wanted.

When I thought hard about the Community Center, I got a vision of the
crafts room, and the golden scroll that I had seen there. And I saw a
desire for spring forage.
I already had at least one of each type of spring forage: daffodil,
dandelion, horseradish and leek. That was it! I would bring an offering
of forage to the Junimos, and see what happened.

I made my offering at the golden scroll, and the Junimos were quite
pleased.
They gave me thirty spring seeds, so that I could plant and grow my
own spring forage! Also, they showed me two more golden scrolls:
one in the pantry, and one at the fish tank.
I checked them, and already had a few items for those areas, too!

Of course, I didn't have those other offerings with me, because of my
tiny backpack, not to mention not knowing in advance. But I knew now
that I could check their desires any time I wanted, and bring things as I
collected them, and that they would grant me rich rewards.

In fact, the pantry promised something I had been wanting for days:
The repair of the greenhouse!
Fortunately, I already had one parsnip, and had planted the very crops
required for the spring bundle: parsnips, green beans, cauliflower and
potatoes.
Yes, trusting that inner voice was a good thing.

I spent the rest of the evening fishing at the lake. I knew I would come
back to the community center with more offerings. For now, I just
wanted to do something relaxing, and fishing was quite soothing.
Occasionally, there was some real excitement, with a challenging fish,
but mostly, I just enjoyed listening to the sounds of the crickets and
gazing up at the clouds while I waited for the fish to bite. Ahhh, what a
change from my old life!

On my way home, in the dark, I stopped to look at Robin's house.
There were four potential friends in that house, and I kept so busy that I
had only stopped to visit with them once. I really needed to change my
schedule, and make time for them, if I wanted to befriend them. Linus,
too, in his tent just north of there, was someone I wanted to know
better. Yes, I was sure I'd be spending a lot of time in the mountain.

That night, I slept peacefully, and happily dreamed of opening my own
recycling center in Pelican Town. Why shouldn't we have access to the
same utilities as Zuzu City? With such a beautiful town, it was even
more important to keep it clean and free from litter and pollution.

And on that note, dear readers, I will leave you for this chapter.
It was an eventful week, but the next week would see even more
adventure, as I delved deeper into the mine and discovered that a rusty
sword was not good enough.

The Ant Farm Chapter 1

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The Ant Farm Chapter 1