Chapter Text
Ever since you were little, you were told by the people of Stardew Valley to stay far away from the ocean. ”It’s cursed,” they would say. You’ve heard stories on how townspeople would go missing, never to return. You thought it was silly, an ocean being cursed.
“Don’t ever go to the ocean.”
You should have listened when you had the chance.
“Ahoy there, lassie!” You grin, waving your arm high above your head. The old man limping towards you waves his hat, his wooden pipe tucked into the pockets of his worn down overalls. Excitement overcomes you and you can hardly wait for the train to come to a complete stop before bounding off the train and into the old man’s arms.
“Grandpa Willy!” you screech. The old man laughs and wraps his arms around you. This is a gesture you relish in, feeling completely and utterly safe.
Coming to Stardew Valley for the summer has been a tradition for you since you were but a little girl, and even at the age of twenty-three, you still make it a goal to spend the entirety of the four weeks relaxing with your favorite grandpa as he tells you tales of his trips to the ocean. Each story fills you with wonder as the old man shares pictures and video recordings of his catches and his discoveries.
Maybe, just maybe, you’ll be allowed to go with him on his fishing trip this year.
“How was th’ train ride, missy?” he asks as he releases you. You straighten out your shirt and beam up at him.
“Boring!” you pipe. Grandpa Willy lets out a deep bellied laugh, his head thrown back and his eyes screwed shut. You find yourself joining his laughter. The old man pats your shoulder once his laughter dies down, walking past you so he can retrieve your luggage.
“Well, at least it wasn’t too excitin’!” You grab your backpack as your grandfather picks up your suitcase.
“Hey grandpa, how is everyone? I haven’t heard anything from anyone but you,” you pipe up. All laughter leaves his face as he stares at the ground, the smile gone from his lips and the sparkle in his eyes missing. His silence worries you. “Grandpa?” Grandpa Willy glances at you when you place a hand on his arm.
“You know tha boy, Sebastian? Robin’s boy?” You nod, feeling a wave of dread wash over you. Your grandpa is silent before he walks towards his cabin on the beach. “Stay away from tha ocean, you hear?”
“Grandpa, what happened?” you ask.
Sebastian wasn’t close to you, not at all. You had met him once or twice before he went off to study computer science in Zuzu City. He was your age, quiet, and an outcast. He was unwanted by his stepfather and uncared for by the rest of the town. You tried to talk to him, you really did, but he wanted nothing to do with other people. You just didn’t know it would be this bad.
“‘e drowned,” was your grandfather’s reply. You suck in a breath, this being the last thing you expected to hear about Sebastian. You struggle to keep up with the old man.
“What?! How?” you questioned. Grandpa Willy kept walking, refusing to look over at the grieving mother’s home high up in the mountains.
“Som’ kids from th’ big city came down to visit ol’ Sebby a couple’a months back, claimin’ to be friends’a his. Brought th’ boy to th’ beach late in th’ evenin’. Don’ know what happened for sure, but somethin’ happened and ‘e ended up gagged and his arms and legs bound. Th’ bastards threw ‘im in the ocean an’ he drowned. ‘Is body was never found, but th’ bastards who did this to ‘im confessed to killin’ ‘im a week later.”
You found it hard to move, hard to breathe. Sebastian… he was murdered? He never did anything wrong! Sure, he was quiet and kept to himself most of the time, but he was intelligent and helped get his mom’s carpentry business up and running by building a website for her.
“I… I don’t know what to say…” was all you could muster. Tears sprang to your eyes as you watched the mountain house, how it seemed void of life when it would be bustling with customers and the sounds of sawing wood and electric screwdrivers filling the empty space. Now, all that’s left is a Closed sign on the door. There were no customers, there were no sounds of construction, there was nothing left but a grieving family left behind.
“That’s why I’m sayin’ no,” your grandpa says. You look up at him, fighting back tears after hearing of the young man’s death. He was your age, afterall.
“‘No?’”
Grandpa Willy nods, “I know you’ve been wantin’ to go fishin’ with yer ol’ man, but after what happened to Sebby, I won’t allow it.” You nod in understanding. You’re not too sure if you want to go on his trip anymore.
The two of you reach his cabin, the smell of fish and bait filling your nostrils. Anyone else would cringe and try to leave as soon as they could, but to you, this was the scent of home. You look around, feeling some of your sorrows being washed away with memories of learning how to tie lures on to fishing poles and making brochures for visiting fishermen on which fish are in season and when the best times to catch them are. You’re too busy reminiscing to notice the door to your grandfather’s shop opening.
“Ahoy there, Kent! What brings ya in today?” You turn to see a man you’ve never met before. He looks to be in his sixties, the roots of his hair and beard silver, but the very ends of them a light gold. His hazel eyes are surrounded by wrinkled skin, his mouth formed in a tight line as he nods in greeting. His eyes, eyes that have seen the horrors of the world, shift to land on you.
“This your granddaughter?” His voice is rough. You nod and put on your brightest smile as you hold out your hand to shake.
“Hi there, sir! I’m (Y/N)!” The man grabs your hand and his grip is tight.
“Kent. My family and I moved back here right after you left.” Kent lets go of your hand. You wince from how tightly he was holding it.
“It’s nice to meet you!” Grandpa Willy stands next to Kent, and if you looked closely enough, you could see the ghost of a smile on the taller man’s face.
“(Y/N), Kent and ‘is wife, Jodi, lived here thir’y years ago. They have a son named Vincent. He’s what, in ‘is early thir’ies now?” Kent nods.
“Yeah. We moved after Sam died. Jodi wanted to come back to the Valley, so we did. We’re getting older and I suppose she wants to live out our days back here.” You nod in understanding. However, you aren’t really feeling up for talking, so you excuse yourself to your room to put your luggage away.
“Hey grandpa, I’m going for a walk in Cindersap Forest! I’ll see you at supper!” He waves goodbye and you walk out the door, staring at the ocean but walking in the other direction.
The sun has dipped closer to the horizon when you finally sit at the edge of the cliff, bathing the skies and earth in oranges and reds. Gem Sea’s dark waves reflect the warm colors, and every now and then, the waves would glitter in the yellow of the falling sun.
You had spent the last few hours saying hi to the remaining townspeople and saying your goodbyes to the ones who have passed. George had passed away not so long ago, and Robin and her family had put up a tombstone for Sebastian. You bought flowers from Pierre’s and left them at their graves, silently paying your respects before leaving for the forest.
Pelican Town wasn’t very different from when you had left it a year ago, but at the same time, it felt as if you’ve never been here before with how many people are getting older and how many people have passed. Granny Evelyn lives in a nursing home now, so her house is up for sale. The thought of buying it to prevent it from being bulldozed or to prevent a strange new person to come in and take her place didn’t feel right, but you don’t know how the townspeople would handle you buying the old house.
You sigh, bringing your knees to your chest as you stare out into the ocean. Like that song in Moana, the ocean calls to you, but you can’t disobey your grandfather and go to it. Too many have died from the clutches of these waters, too many have suffered from the so-called curse these waters held. It hurts you to not go.
Looking at your wristwatch, you sigh. It’s nearing seven in the evening, and your grandfather is expecting you for dinner by now. Kent must’ve left already, and with the sun sinking closer and closer to the horizon, you take this as your cue to leave. You stand, brush off the grass from the back of your jeans, and turn to give the ocean one last glance before you leave.
However, you see something.
In the middle of the waves, you see a bright golden color. It’s not the reflection of the sun, but it stays steady. As you stare, a brown blob pops up from beneath the surface of the ocean, followed by a short black, longer black, another brown blob, and finally, a long red. You get as close to the edge of the cliffs as you can, almost certain that those blobs are the backs of people’s heads. You open your mouth to call out to them, to make sure they’re okay, but a loud crack catches your attention. The cliff begins to break off from the rest of the earth.
Move! you scream to yourself, but you’re frozen. You stand paralyzed as the edge of the cliff finally breaks off, a shrill scream tearing itself from your throat. Weightlessness is the only feeling you have, but that quickly changes as the broken cliff slams into a large boulder that protrudes from the earth, sending you flying backwards and straight into the frozen sea.
The water paralyzes your muscles, the cold seeping deep into your muscles. You watch as the inky darkness of the ocean grows darker and darker, as the reflection of the sun fades from the surface. You’re so cold, and you feel the very breath from your lungs escape out your mouth, the bubbles rising to the surface to escape the watery grave. You feel tired, so tired, and you begin to close your eyes.
Before your eyes slip shut and you succumb to the freezing ocean, you swear you see a familiar face staring at you with panic, a pale hand reaching out to you as long, dark locks float around his face.
“Damnit, we have to hurry!” Kent screams. He, Willy, and Pierre all rush around the fishing boat, the townspeople panicking. Marnie stands on the beach, crying and screaming for the men to hurry. She had seen you falling into the ocean, but she was too late to save you.
“Let’s go!” Pierre screams. Willy, stunned speechless by the news that you were in the ocean from an accident, starts up his boat and speeds it to where Marnie had seen you fall in. The sun had already set, making it more difficult for the men to locate you. Using the spotlight, the men scour the area, praying to Yoba that you were safe.
“Here! I see her!” Willy desperately looks to where Kent’s pointing and turns the steering wheel. You were unconscious, the upper half of your body lying on Seagull Stone, a large rock that seagulls often sit on while taking a break from soaring over the ocean. Your legs were still in the water, but you were still breathing. Willy brings his boat as close to Seagull Stone and drops anchor, Kent and Pierre wasting no time jumping onto the rock and pulling you out of the water completely. Pierre hoists you up onto the ship, into the arms of your grandfather, while Kent assists in any way possible. You were safely on the ship, Pierre was climbing in after you, and Kent had put his hand on the boat’s ladder to climb up last.
“Dad?” Kent freezes before turning towards the rock. His eyes scan the rock, but he sees nothing. Sighing, he quickly resumes his mission in climbing up the boat and rushing you to the hospital.
Kent swears he heard Sam’s voice.