It's a chilly day, with light winds folding me over into a hunched stride, arms wrapped around my torso. I'm not too far from home, where warmer outerwear beckons, but I'm stubborn and press on instead. I'm in town by the general store again. There's a set of stairs to its side which I've never taken before. I ascend them, noting the wear and moss—thick green growth reaches over edges and fills corners, but frequent footsteps have made a broad path of smooth stone. Reaching the top reveals another pleasant clearing, and I face a building in disarray. A stopped clock resides above the door. Next to it reads "Pelican Town" in cracked and faded paint under the eaves. A decaying awning covers a broad, imposing entrance with shadow. It's definitely locked. To its left is a small playground with children's big toys, and continuing counterclockwise in this order is an empty fountain surrounded by wooden benches. Overall it looks lovely, but no one's around.

I follow the path along the low cliff past the large building and through some foliage. Spring dew is everywhere, which seems apropos. It's not called Stardew Valley for nothing, although the notable night skies are something I have yet to go watch. I wonder how it looks out here, without the light and the fog and the glare of the city to bog it down. I'll bet it's beautiful.

As I'm thinking this, I see a telescope. Not, like, metaphorically or anything. I just come across a large house with a picture of a saw over the door, and to the left of the door is a fence with open gate revealing a telescope, pointed towards the heavens. And I see a hand in motion as it is withdrawn from a knob on the side and disappears behind the fence.

Rubbing my hands with my arms, I feel the warmth of my skin and brush against the coarse fabric of my sleeve. I can't help but be intrigued. Superstition follows me around sometimes, especially when I'm alone. I find it hard to believe in coincidences. So, I deviate from the dirt path a bit to get a better view. It's a little side yard, with an equally small wooden door leading to some sort of back room in the carpentry shop, it seems. And within its fence is Maru, wearing a smudged pair of overalls with her deep brown hair tied back, holding a small cloth and doing… something to the telescope.

"Oh, hi!" I call to her. Or, I try to; my early morning voice cracks immediately and it's more of a squeak followed by a low mutter. Shit. Shit. Bad. I cough and Maru looks up.

"Hey there," she greets me cheerily with a tone of surprise, "How's it going, Dorothy? Didn't know I'd see you up here this soon! My parents haven't even opened the shop yet. What are you doing up so early?"

"Well, I heard there was some sort of work… to be done over in this area somewhere? By the mountain?" I fumble through my pockets for proof; a small, handwritten note left on the bulletin outside Pierre's store. In uneven font, it reads, "Adventurers Wanted! The Bravest And The Most Daring Welcome! Report To: Adventurer's Guild At Mountain Lake" And in someone else's handwriting, a reply reads, "don't quit your day job."

Maru comes close to read the flyer, and I hand it to her. The feel of the worn paper gently tugged from my fingers is calming, and my shoulders settle. I hadn't realized how tense they were.

"Adventure, huh? That sounds like Marlin, across the lake. He looks like an adventurer, you know? Well, that must just be the eyepatch. Or the cape. He's an interesting guy."

"I've never met him."

"Yeah, I wouldn't expect so. He's reclusive but I think he's friends with Mayor Lewis. He likes to hang at the back of town gatherings and… I don't even know. Pretend to be Batman or something."

We both laugh and Maru hands me back the paper. She smiles so brightly for 7am. It's warm in a very different way than the sun, but it feels just as good to stand in its rays.

I blink hard and try not to focus on small things, sweet things, things that could happen but probably won't so why even think about them! Instead, I focus on the paper in my hands again.

The pause after we finished laughing weighs down my spirits for a moment. I can never think of anything interesting to say. I stutter, "I-I'd best be going…"

"Yeah! Of course. Good luck with Marlin, and good luck with your adventure. Sounds ominous."

"I will, thanks." I flash my prize-winning smile and she turns back to her telescope. Actually… that went well. I hope I see her more; she'd be a good friend.

I trudge through the tall grass around the lake.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm brandishing a sword and in a cave. Like in one of those old movies where the rocks are all foam and the monsters are claymation. I feel like a fucking argonaut and I'm not quite sure what I'm doing and Marlin seems to be wrapping up his speech. I'll summarize all of it that I payed attention to:

"Adventure is still alive in this day and age, I assure you! This era of the internet and satellites and apps that get food delivered to you by strangers did its best to vanquish the spirit of adventure, but adventure lived on! Not outwards… blah blah blah hidden places blah blah secrets behind every door blah blah an inquisitive mind blah blah preparation for adventure is what sets the adventurer apart from the lost soul blah blah it's dangerous to go alone here take this blah blah blah blah good luck!"

And here I am. My mission? Get rid of some monsters because we have those here, apparently. Some slimes. Five, to be precise. And I get some money for it. Not a bad gig, if you ask me.

Almost as soon as Marlon exits through the elevator, I hear something from the other end of the cabin that sounds distinctly like something oozing its way across the ground. I ready my blade.

The next few hours I spend exploring the mines and smacking sentient piles of pudding. It's not necessarily exciting, but it feels good. I feel like somebody who can do something. Not the new girl in town, not a lost soul, but somebody with a strong right swing and an eye like a magpie. By afternoon I am exiting through the elevator with a mental map of the mine's underground passages, a pouch filled with curios, and a sword dripping with goo. The three signs of a productive day, if you ask me.

I walk back towards town to claim my reward, get some food, and clean off. I pass the carpentry shop but decide not to stop by, noting the scuffs, dirt, sweat. Maybe when I've washed up. I pass that building again, next to the playground. It still feels cold, but the day has warmed up considerably around it. Summer is coming, I can feel. The sky is wide and adventure could be just around the corner.