Chapter Text
The warmth of the sun as it approached the earth’s surface soothed her skin, kissing freckles scattered over her face and arms. The last of the weeds have been pulled from the ground, so she relaxed and sat back with her hands on the ground behind her and closed her eyes.
Birds sang, fluttering from one tree to the next, preparing to tuck into their nests as night would soon be there. She rose to her feet and dusted her hands on her knees, already covered with dirt and debris from her day of work.
She headed south to the strawberry fields, allowing the sweet aroma of the maturing fruit to fill her lungs as her hand brushed along the leaves. The sky was a rich gold haloed by red and violet as it stretched above the field and disappeared behind the dense wall of trees that marked the entrance to the forest far beyond the carpet of red and green before her.
The serenity of this single moment was why she came here; it was all she longed for, deep down in her heart. She wouldn’t trade this brief peace for anything in the world.
The breeze picked up just as nightfall began to slowly creep toward the horizon. She turned and hiked back to her cabin, smiling to herself while lost with her own thoughts about how much had changed for the better in the last year and how much she still had left to accomplish.
Reaching her porch, she lifted from her reverie and became aware that the darkness had gathered rapidly around her and the only light that remained was from the stars overhead. Everything had gone eerily silent; not a single cricket chirped, no bats screeched behind her, and she could not even feel the breeze that had comforted her a minute ago. She felt nothing at all but the grip of an unnatural stillness, as if everything collectively held its breath around her.
No, that isn’t entirely true. She did have the distinct feeling she was being watched . Goosebumps prickled up her arms and she felt a shiver rush down her spine. As she turned to look over the field again, she noticed that it was completely drained of its vibrant color; not just shrouded by the unfolding dark, but as black and white as a scene pulled from an old film.
A gasp caught in her throat as a firm hand suddenly gripped her shoulder. She turned her head forward again toward the porch, only to be met with a pair of glinting eyes, sharp with malice. She felt the air leaves her lungs involuntarily, as if his touch had winded her and emptied her of everything that gave her life. His anger was seething and infectious. The very air seemed darker around his body, as if a void she may fall into if she stepped any nearer, or a seeping poison that bled into the soil he stood on. The fields behind her began to wither and decay, leaving behind black skeletons in their wake; a cemetery for her dreams, crushed beneath the weight of his clutching hand which had not budged. Now it was the boneyard of her despair.
He opened his mouth wide, as if preparing to swallow her entirely. The teeth that emerged were sharp and venomous. He was speaking, or trying to, but the words were muffled and incomprehensible. They were blaring louder and louder with each passing second until she had to cover her ears and shut her eyes tight. She tried to scream, for a fleeting moment scratching the surface of the shriek which now pounded into her eardrums relentlessly, but it fell like a small drop in a deep well and dissipated.
Tears began to fall as the roar of noise became unbearable, breaking against her like tidal waves, threatening to drown her. Her own open mouth only poured out silence, though she knew she was still screaming. She could no longer see when she tried to open her eyes.
She was being swallowed by the dark.
BZZZZZZ. BZZZZZZ. BZZZZZZ.
There it was. . .
The sound of the alarm snapped her awake and slowly brought back reality, the blinding light of the sun peering through her window causing a dull ache behind her eyes. She sluggishly reached her hand out to snooze the alarm, stretching out too far and just missing, causing her to slip out of bed onto the floor.
Great, another Thursday to look forward to , she thought to herself as she lazily used the bed to prop herself up in preparation for the day.
It hadn't always been this difficult waking up, but with the recent sleepless nights and increasingly physical fights, she was exhausted no matter how long she stayed in bed.
She agitatedly glanced at her still screaming alarm clock. 7:04 AM. Great, that means he already left for the day. He had an appointment on the other side of town this morning, and so she knew he had to leave early to be there on time. She turned it off and slipped out of bed. She didn't have much time before she would be late for work.
As she looked in the mirror, she saw the scratches from the night before: along her torso, around her neck, and some on her face just under her jaw. She didn't want the opportunity for any questions to arise, so she braced herself as she lightly put on some makeup and her often-worn turtleneck, not suitable for the approaching springtime weather. However, it was raining, and that was enough to cool the air to the point where she could use that as an excuse.
She hurriedly prepared some toast with jam and coffee-to-go before she was out the door by 7:28 AM, just enough time to catch the 7:30 bus across the street. Three buses later and she made it to work right on time, just as she always did everyday.
She walked down the gray and narrow hallway of cubicles, people beginning typing away and phones ringing the moment 8 o'clock struck. The atmosphere was cold and uninviting, and as she found her station, she hastily sulked into the chair, putting a strain on her back. She was fatigued, more drained than usual, and the bags under her eyes felt like weights pulling her down.
She had been staring at her computer for a while, not realizing time was passing by. She had not begun typing, and her phone was ringing but she didn't answer. She drowned out the sound of it amongst the sea of other phones going off, babbling coming from all the other cubicles across the building. She wasn't usually productive - who could be in a job like this? - but today everything felt more pointless than ever. She was feeling the burden of modern life really becoming a strain.
A loud bell rang and it was her lunch break. The hunger pangs grew loudly, as she only had a slice of bread for breakfast with her black coffee, but she had to ignore them. She didn't pack herself a lunch and did not have enough time to run to the nearest fast food place and grab a meal.
Her coworkers were gathered in groups, loudly chatting and seemingly enjoying themselves. Brad stood by the water cooler, very obviously flirting with Jan as he did every…single…day. Robert and Melissa seated in the lounge table, enjoying their microwaved leftovers. These were her "office buddies" as she mentally called them, but they only existed as such because they worked in the cubicles closest to hers. She had no genuine interest in their affairs and they didn’t know a bit of truth about her life.
"Hey Celeste, what're you having today?" Melissa said as she looked up in between bites. Timidly, Celeste opened her mouth to respond, but couldn't bring herself to say that she didn't have anything packed. She didn’t have the energy or time after last night. "I'm not feeling all that hungry today. Don't worry,” she lied.
She made her way to the outside of the building, where a few of her coworkers were enjoying cigarettes, a habit she tried so hard not to pick up but found difficult to resist. Someone she hadn't seen working there before, who looked especially tired, offered her one, to which she bashfully accepted. He lit it for her as she stood against the wall, her foot bent and leaving a trail of mud on the wall. The rain hadn't stopped, but they were in a covered area so only the sound and smell reached them.
"…it's just like spring…."
She was so lost in her thoughts, replaying the night before, to even realize the older man was talking to her. Between drags, she looked up at him with her grayish green eyes in confusion, and he repeated himself, "The rain's coming down hard. It's not quite here yet, but it's just like spring."
"Mm," she softly said, taking another puff. The bell rang once again, indicating lunch break was over, and everyone hurried to their desks. Celeste sulked along and thought to herself, I hope that can hold me over.
It took 4 buses to get home, and the rain still had not stopped. Since she had forgotten her umbrella in her cubicle drawer, she was soaked by the time she got to her apartment. She walked in and was relieved to see that Dallas wasn't home yet. She put the tea kettle to boil and changed out of her wet work clothes, hopping in for a quick shower, and rushing out when she heard the incessant whistling. She prepared herself a piping hot cup of oolong tea and relaxed onto her couch. She drifted into a daydream, once again recalling the events from the night before. Dallas had always been verbally aggressive, but these last few fights were different. She felt like she saw the wicked spirit growing in his eyes. She kept replaying the flashback of the emptiness she saw on his face until her hunger pangs returned, bringing her to the present, and she made way to the barren kitchen. She prepared a bowl of cereal and quickly devoured it before brushing her teeth and heading to bed.
11:23 PM. She couldn't sleep. Dallas still wasn't home and she knew what this meant. He was drinking and probably went home with someone else. She tried to stay awake…but….quickly….she drifted off into a slumber.
Around 4 AM she heard the door shut, and a man stumble across the apartment and into the dark bedroom. She slowly opened her eyes, unsure of whether she should act like she wasn't woken up by this commotion.
It was Dallas, and he was piss drunk. Which was never a good sign, because when he drank is when he usually started to get physically and verbally aggressive with Celeste. She shuddered in the blankets as he flopped on the bed, without a care in the world as to whether he would wake her or not. She apprehensively acknowledged his entrance.
"Dallas, are you just getting home?"
"Fuck off," he responded in a hostile tone.
She could let this get to her, but she was used to this type of response. Responding any further would only make him angrier, and putting up with this was better than dealing with the alternative.
Quickly, he fell asleep, snoring loudly in his drunken gurgle.
Celeste struggled to return back to sleep until the wee hours of the morning when the sun just began to brush the horizon.
The next morning, Dallas was awake early, hungover. He was preparing himself a cup of coffee, and because of his guilt, he made some pancakes for Celeste.
"Good morning, beautiful," he said as he approached her, ready to peck her on the lips.
She was exhausted and confused, wondering if his guilt was what caused him to be bright this morning. Usually, he only showed affection when trying to drown his guilt. This followed behaviors of late night drinking and something she hated to admit that he did: it was no secret that he was cheating on her. The few times she has brought it up is what resulted in nights like Wednesday, where she had marks left to show for it.
She finally found the words to respond, after being despondently quiet for what seemed like a long time. "I'm going to be late. Thanks. I'll see you tonight."
She quickly left outside the front door before he had a chance to respond. She nearly ran to the bus stop, barely making it on time to catch the bus.
At least it's not raining today , she thought to herself, the sky being brighter and sunnier than it had been in days.
When she got to work, it was back to the same mundane tasks. Brad flirting with Jan by the water cooler during lunch, Robert and Melissa both enjoying their leftovers from the night before. She made her way outside again as she had the day before to see the same older man smoking a cigarette. Without making eye contact, she stood beside him and put her foot up against the wall, leaning her back onto the rough concrete. He offered her a cigarette once again, and with a long sigh she responded, "I'm trying to quit," as she grabbed it from his hand. He lit the cigarette for her and she took one long and hot breath, feeling the nicotine burn her tongue, suddenly feeling less tense.
"I don't know why someone like you is in a dead end job like this," she finally heard him say after a long silence. Her cigarette was already burned down to the filter, and she tossed it on the ground and stepped on it, putting her foot back up against the wall afterwards. "I know this emptiness just isn't for you," he continued. Her eyes felt heavy as she felt them welling up. Don't cry, dammit! Not in front of a stranger. Don't be weak!
"I might not know a lot… but I know that you're destined for more." Suddenly, the bell rang to indicate that lunch was over. "Well, enough of that sappy shit. Gotta get back to my station." He quickly glanced at her greyish eyes, his were dark but warm. "You gotta do what's right for you, kid." And just like that, he went inside. She picked up her cigarette, feeling guilty for just leaving it on the ground earlier, throwing it in the outdoor ashtray and made her way back into the cold, grey building.
As she walked towards her cubicle, she looked at everyone else around her working, looking for the man she felt acquainted with. He was nowhere to be seen. And although this confused her, she didn't dwell on it and sat at her desk, flooded with phone calls.
One particularly upsetting phone call came in. It was Dallas. He worked from home so he was always there, unless he was out getting drunk or into someone else's pants. The background noise was of a bar. Happy Hour didn't yet start, as it was only 4:30, but he was always early to these things. She shuddered. She knew what he had planned for today.
"D-Don't wait up for me tonight, beautiful." He quickly clicked the phone and she heard the disconnected tone. He's so shameless! He doesn't even care that I know…that I hurt…
She opened her drawer to pull out a tissue as her eyes grew heavy and her nose dripped. After fumbling in the drawer for a little, she found the letter. The one she had forgotten about that her grandfather gave to her on her birthday last year. He died the following day, but he told her to be patient… to wait until she felt crushed by the burden of modern life to open it. Today, she felt crushed . Her partner of 6 years was shameless in his infidelities and abuse and she was stuck in a dead end job. What more did she have to lose?
She carefully opened the letter, sealed by purple wax.
Inside read the following:
Dear Celeste,
If you are reading this, you must be in dire need of a change.
The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life…real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.
I've enclosed the deed to that place…my pride and joy: New Sunshine Farm. It's located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It's the perfect place to start your new life.
This was my most precious gift of all, and now it's yours. I know you'll honor the family name, my dear. Good luck.
Love, Grandpa.
P.S. Say hello to my old friend Lewis for me.
Her ears burned. Why did she wait so long to open this? She knows the reason: she forgot about it and was so stricken by the grief of her grandfather passing that it was the last thing on her mind.
She stood up from her desk and walked out. The intercom blaring her name and demanding that she report back to her desk. She turned around and flicked off the cameras, as she rushed out the doors, feeling the warmth of the sun in what felt like a new sunshine.
She packed very lightly, and wanted to make sure she was gone before Dallas came home drunk that night. She took off her engagement ring and left it on the kitchen table. Looking at the dark apartment, she shut the door and locked it. After letting out a deep sigh, she made her way to the bus stop and boarded the 7 o'clock bus, where she would have to catch a few others until her long distance trip to Stardew Valley. But she was happy, because she felt like this was the escape that she desperately needed.
