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It started with daffodils.
Daffodils with pale yellow petals and bright green stems. The finest in the valley, plucked from the banks of the river near Marnie's ranch. Haley didn't know such beauty could be found anywhere near Pelican Town. She was impressed by what the farmer had brought her. But of course, she'd never admit that openly.
"I'm going around, greeting all my new neighbors." The farmer said, grinning as she handed Haley the bouquet. Haley was surprised to see that she was about the same age as her. When she first heard the gossip around town, that someone would be living on that long-abandoned farmland to the west of town, Haley imagined someone older. What kind of young person would willingly become a farmer? It's certainly not a lifestyle Haley would have chosen. "I heard it was the custom in this town to give gifts as a form of greeting. So...here you go!"
"Er...thanks." Haley said, accepting the bouquet. "What'd you say your name was again?"
"Oh, my name's Persephone!" The farmer said. "But everyone calls me Percy."
Persephone? What kind of name was that? Haley couldn't help but roll her eyes at how pretentious it sounded. And that nickname, Percy...Haley figured this girl probably felt so quirky and unique choosing such a nickname. The tomboyish energy of the nickname was matched by the farmer's appearance--she was a tall and lanky girl with short, dark red hair. Haley thought that this girl, Percy, looked overall unflattering. Sure, these were cruel thoughts to have, the kind of thoughts Emily was always scolding her about, constantly encouraging her little sister to be more generous in the snap judgments she too often made about others. But Haley couldn't help herself. This was just how she thought. High school had conditioned her to be like this--appraising everyone by the most superficial criteria, assuming nothing good, thinking the worst of total strangers. This was merely how Haley had been conditioned to think about others.
Still, at least she had brought her some pretty flowers.
"And what's your name?" Percy said, smiling. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Haley." She said, walking over to the nearby coffee table and placing the flowers in a pot.
"Cool." Percy said. "You don't live in this big house all by yourself, do you?"
"No, this is my sister's place." Haley said. "I'm just a temporary guest. I'll be leaving soon."
"Oh, really?" Percy said. "That's a shame."
"Yeah, well, I need to get out of this town." Haley said. "It's driving me crazy. There's nothing to do here. After you've lived here for a while, you'll understand what I mean. Pelican Town is the most boring place on earth!"
"Well, luckily I've got my farm to keep me busy." Percy said, grinning. "Speaking of, I gotta run. I need to go fix some fences before sundown. Tell your sister I said hi, OK?"
"Right..." Haley said, not really paying attention to what she was saying.
"Nice meeting you, Haley!" Percy said, waving as she walked out the front door. "See ya!"
"Yeah...see ya." Haley said. When the farmer left, she returned to the sofa and flipped through the pages of a fashion magazine she had already read cover-to-cover five times prior. When she grew bored of that, she turned on the TV and flipped through the meager amount of channels available to her. The only thing she found that wasn't a re-run was the weather channel. Growing frustrated, she turned the TV off once more. Bored out of her mind, she reclined on the couch and ended up staring at the daffodils, once again struck by their unique beauty. She thought about the farmer who, just a few minutes ago, was standing in this very room.
"Weirdo..." Haley whispered under her breath. "Of all the places in the world...why the hell would she chose to come here?"
__
"The farmer?" Emily said, filling up the daffodils' pot with water in the sink before returning it to the coffee table. She had just gotten back from her shift at the Saloon and was listening intently as Haley filled her in on the surprise visitor she greeted in the afternoon. "Oh, you mean the person who just moved to town?"
"Yeah." Haley said. "Get this. Her name is Percy. Percy!"
"What's wrong with the name Percy?"
"Nothing's wrong with it." Haley said. "I've just never met a girl named Percy. And her full name is Persephone. Don't you think it just sounds--"
"Haley, what did I tell you about making judgmental comments?"
"Stop acting like Mom." Haley said, rolling her eyes.
"If you're going to live in my house, you're going to live by my rules." Emily said. "And that should be simple, cause I've only got one rule--be kind to others."
"I hate it when you talk to me like I'm stupid!" Haley said. "I'm not a kid anymore, Em!"
"But you sure do act like one sometimes." Emily said. "Part of growing up is learning to mind your own business and not be so quick to judge others."
"Whatever...I'll think what I wanna think." Haley said. "I can't wait till I get out of this fucking house. Your lectures are so annoying!"
"Well, what's stopping you?" Emily said. "Call up Mom and Dad right now. I'm sure they'd be happy to pay for that apartment in the city you're always talking about."
Haley fell silent.
"Still not ready to leave then, hm?" Emily said. "Well, I guess you're gonna have to put up with my lectures for a little bit longer."
"I'm leaving soon. Just you wait and see, Em!"
"You've been saying that for the past two years!" Emily said. "You moved in here a week after you graduated high school. I remember, on the first day you showed up, you told me, 'I'm only coming to stay with you cause Mom and Dad are off traveling. Don't get used to it. Once I get everything sorted out, I'm packing my bags again and moving to the city.' You've had two years, Haley, to get things 'sorted out.' But I don't think you've even started."
"Not true!" Haley said. "I've gone online and looked up some listings for apartments..."
"I just don't understand it." Emily said. "You're always talking about how much you hate living in this town and hate living with me, but you never leave. What gives? I genuinely don't get it, Haley."
"I don't wanna talk about this!" Haley said, getting off the couch and storming off to her bedroom. "Good night."
"Haley, wait--!"
"Just shut up! I don't wanna talk to you anymore!"
Haley slammed her door and dived into her bed. She let out a heavy sigh and buried her face in the pillow. She didn't realize she was crying until she tasted the salty tears on her lips. She hated to admit it...but Emily made a good point. Why was Haley still here? Why hadn't she left yet? To be honest, she wasn't even quite sure. It certainly wasn't because she cared too much about her sister or any of her neighbors to ever consider leaving. She had no opportunities here, no future ahead of her that she could see. So, what was keeping her in Pelican Town? If she was totally, a hundred percent honest with herself...she knew, deep down, that the answer was fear. Fear of striking out on her own, fear of becoming an independent adult, fear of growing up. Living in her sister's home, where she had all her cooking and laundry done for her by Emily, where she could spend all day reading magazines and watching TV and snuggling with her stuffed animals...it wasn't an exciting or fulfilling life, but at the very least it allowed her to pretend that she was still just a child. She could pretend there was still an adulthood full of promise ahead of her--never mind the fact that such adulthood was already well underway, and so far it was entirely devoid of promise or hope or happiness. No, no, no...this wasn't her adulthood. That would happen someday, and it would be everything she always dreamed of. But for now, she was still but a child. Still but a child...
She got out of bed and walked across her bedroom. Sitting on the vanity, in front of the mirror, was her prized possession; her high school yearbook from her senior year. She had flipped through it so often that corners of many of its pages were dog-eared and torn ever so slightly. She scrutinized every photo. She saw herself in many of them--though she hardly recognized this joyous little girl. Her name popped up more than anyone else's, given how many extracurricular activities she was involved in. Tennis, lacrosse, water polo, golf, pretty much every other snobby, rich kid sport played by the popular girls. There were so many photos of her posing with her teammates, all standing in a row and smiling. It reminded her of better times, when she would talk with the other girls about all the things she would do one day. Go to a fancy college, get a lucrative job, marry a wealthy man, live in a penthouse apartment...simple, right?
The page she looked at most often was on the inside of the book's back cover. It was a space reserved for signatures. Haley had, of course, gotten dozens. Even classmates she didn't like signed her book. Back then, people felt a magnetic pull to her due to her reputation and status within the school as one of the "popular kids." She could treat a classmate like dog shit she found on the bottom of her shoe, and they would still bow down and grovel at her feet. Back then, she thought high school was really, truly representative of society as a whole. Only now did she realize it was a perverted, funhouse mirrored version of the outside world. In the real, adult world, it wasn't as simple as popular kids and losers, jocks and nerds, the in-group and the outcasts. When you grew up, no one cared anymore if you played fucking water polo. It took her a long time to come to terms with the fact that, like an astronaut landing on an alien planet, she had been ejected from high school and woke up to find herself in a whole new world, entirely unprepared, with no idea even how to survive, much less thrive.
She thought college would be the answer. She did go...for one week. She got into her dream school, of course. Expensive, prestigious, the kind of place everyone in high school knew she would end up. It didn't take long for her to realize that college was not high school. It was school, yes, but that was about it. She didn't know anybody there. She had no clout, no station, no position. She was just another face in the crowd. It was lonely. That whole week, she barely talked to anyone. When her classes were over for the day, she would return to her dark dorm room and crawl in bed. She would try and text the girls she knew from high school, the ones she thought were her friends. But they never responded. Of course they didn't. They were off having fun at college. They had moved beyond high school...like normal people were apparently supposed to. Somewhere along the way, they left Haley in the dust. When the fuck had that happened?
She dropped all her classes, withdrew from the university, and planned to move back in with her parents...except they had already embarked on the months-long world tour they always talked about. As soon as both of their children had left the nest, they too flew away. Haley didn't know where to go or what to do. The only thing she knew is that she didn't want to be lonely anymore. She called up Emily. And of course, her big sister was happy to let her stay with her. Haley didn't exactly get along with her sister. She always felt Emily was too much of a goody two shoes and regarded her as weird for moving to a small town in the middle of nowhere in order to live a "quiet life", instead of going someplace exciting and glamorous. But her company was better than nobody's company. So Haley packed her bags and, a few days later, Emily showed up in her little red pick-up truck. They drove for hours until they finally arrived in Stardew Valley--Haley's new home. She knew, as soon as she arrived in the dead of night, that she would hate it.
Two years later, she still hated it. So why didn't she have the guts to get up and leave?
She put the yearbook down. She went back to bed. She cried some more. Emily opened the door.
"Haley...?"
Haley's first instinct was to tell her to fuck off and stop bothering her. But this time, she let her get close and embrace her.
"Hey, Haley..." Emily said. "It's OK. I'm sorry."
"Em..."
"I know, you're going through a lot."
Haley sighed and hugged her back.
"I don't know what to do..." Haley whispered. "But I can't go on living like this."
"Take your time, kid." Emily said. "No need to rush. You can stay here as long as you like."
"...Thanks." Haley said. The word felt foreign to her mouth. "Thanks...Em..."
__
When she woke up the next morning, a strange feeling overtook her. She wanted to take photos. She went to the big, walk-in closet attached to her bedroom. She always had this silly dream of turning the closet into a makeshift dark room...but for now, it was just a place to store some extra clothes, as well as her camera.
After getting ready, she left her room and found Emily had already left for her shift at the Saloon. Haley began to wander around the home, wondering what she should photograph. Was there anything in the whole valley even worth photographing?
She suddenly laid eyes on the daffodils the farmer had brought her. Didn't that girl--Percy--say she found them while foraging near the river? Haley didn't know such beautiful foliage could be found anywhere near Pelican Town. If this was just a sample of the kinds of plant life she could find there, then perhaps it was a place worth photographing.
She left the house and walked westward. The cobblestone street quickly turned to dirt, then soon faded entirely. For as long as she lived in Pelican Town, she never ventured out into the wilderness beyond town before. She didn't see much of a point. She thought the only fun she could have in this town was indoors; watching TV and reading magazines and going on her computer. She suddenly wished she had come out to this place sooner, however. Just beyond the bend in the river near the ranch, there was a gorgeous, expansive meadow. Popping out of the flat mat of tall, emerald green grass were all kinds of flowers--not just daffodils, but dandelions, tulips, marigolds, and more. In the distance was the shaggy vegetation of the forest; its towering, ancient trees cast a gigantic shadow over half the meadow thanks to the radiant late morning sun overhead. Haley was tempted to consider this the first beautiful day she had ever known in Stardew Valley. But then she figured that there had indeed been many beautiful days in the Valley--they had all just passed her by without her even noticing, until today.
Ever since she was a kid, Haley loved taking photos. Her parents had gotten her a toy camera when she was a kid--a small, plastic, pink box with a shitty lens which spat out nothing but blurry photos. Though, of course, back then Haley didn't care about the camera's quality. She was just happy to have a camera at all and doing something she loved. She liked to take photos of things which looked interesting to her. She treated photography as a means to capture and save something that struck her as visually pleasant. It could be something as simple as a flower or a puddle or a birthday cake, or as big and complex as a giant, gnarled tree or a large pond full of dozens of lily pads. She did not discriminate--if she found something pleasing to look at, she took a photo of it. Or, at least, that's what she used to do. Sometime in high school, she lost her passion for the hobby. All throughout elementary and middle school, her parents bought her increasingly high quality and complex cameras. She filled up album after album with simple photos of visually interesting things she stumbled across. But then high school came, and she began to feel this hobby was childish and a waste of time. These feelings arose, she supposed, because she couldn't justify it to her peers. She tried to share her photos with her friend group--consisting of popular kids like herself--but they failed to understand why she spent so much time taking pictures of seemingly random things. They called such photos "pretentious" and "artsy-fartsy" and tacitly suggested that the only good use of her time was vapid socialization and material comfort. Soon enough, Haley stopped bringing her photos into school to share with her friends. But there was still hope, for her school had a dedicated Photography Club, who Haley thought would surely recognize her passion and welcome her with open arms. Only, when she showed up to a call-out meeting, she found the small club consisted exclusively of the people she mocked; the pale kids who wore dark clothes and had hair dyed in bright neon colors, the kind of loners who snuck cigarettes into the bathrooms and wrote moody poetry and listened to sad songs. Unlike so many other people she ridiculed, these were some of the only kids who had the guts to scorn her in return. And when Haley tried to show them her photos, they all shook their heads and declared that her work lacked meaning and sophistication. She was told this wasn't art--it was just her photographing random objects, with no attention paid to the lighting or composition or anything else. She just pointed the camera and took the shot. Haley asked them what else there was to photography besides that. They not-so-politely asked her to leave. When she got home, she threw her camera underneath her bed and vowed never to take a photo again.
She wasn't sure why this morning was different. After such a long hiatus, why now was she compelled to pick up the camera? She wasn't sure. She supposed it might have arisen from morbid curiosity; something to reduce that dreadful, stifling boredom she had languished in for two long years. She also thought it would do her some good to go out and get some sun. Regardless the reason, she went out and snapped photos. Of flowers, of trees, of butterflies, of birds, of clouds, of whatever stuck out to her as beautiful--which was quite a lot, she discovered. She wondered if she was just so starved of seeing natural beauty in person that even the meager offerings of this meadow were overly-impressive to her--or perhaps she needed to consider that maybe Stardew Valley was just a naturally beautiful place.
She had just taken a photo of a chickadee sitting on the branch of a maple tree when she heard the farmer's voice.
"Hey!" Percy called. "Haley!"
Haley turned around and saw her approaching, carrying a large basket. Haley briefly considered pretending she didn't hear or see Percy and simply walking away. But for some reason, she stayed put. Not only that, she actually waved as she came near.
"What are you doing out here?" Haley said. "Don't you have, like, a farm to run?"
"Just doing some foraging." Percy said. "You can find a lot of nice stuff out here if you know where to look. What are you up to?"
"Oh..." Haley suddenly blushed, finding it too embarrassing to admit what she was up to. "Well..."
"I like your camera!" Percy said. "Were you out here taking photos or something?"
"Yeah, I guess..."
"You guess?"
"I mean, yes!" Haley said, rolling her eyes. "Yes, that's what I was doing, if you must know..."
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Percy said. "I bet you got a lot of beautiful pictures out here. This meadow is really a wonderful place..."
"It's OK, I suppose." Haley said.
"Hey, would you mind showing me some of your photos?" Percy said.
"What?" Haley said. "You...want to see them?"
"Yes. If you don't mind, that is. If it's too personal, I understand."
"Well, no, it's nothing personal." Haley said. "It's just, like, fucking photos of birds and flowers and whatever. But they're not super good photos, so you probably don't wanna see them."
"I'm sure they're good!" Percy said. "Probably a hundred times better than the kind of photos I could take. And plus, I like birds and flowers and whatever!"
"...Fine, if you insist." Haley said, holding up the camera and scrolling through the photos she took. She braced herself for Percy to laugh and dismiss them...but instead, the farmer leaned closer to the camera to get a better look at her work. She nodded and stared silently at each photo, showing extraordinary interest. It was a bit off-putting for Haley. No one had ever reacted to her photos in such a way.
"Wow..." Percy said as Haley finished scrolling through the photos. "Those are great! I can't believe you thought those were bad photos."
"Well, maybe they're not bad." Haley said. "But they're nothing special. Nothing that, like, belongs in a museum of whatever."
"If there's a museum that won't display photos like that, then it's a museum I don't wanna go to!" Percy said. "I'm serious, Haley! Those are really cool!"
"Er...thanks...I guess?"
"Here." Percy said, reaching into her basket and giving her another daffodil. "Take this. I just picked it up a little bit ago. It's my way of repaying you."
"Repaying me for what?"
"For showing me your photos." Percy said, grinning. "They're so good, you should be charging people to look at them!"
"Oh, please!" Haley said, rolling her eyes again. "Like I said, they're nothing special."
"Well, they seem special to me..." Percy said, before glancing down at her watch. "Ah, dammit! It's already one-thirty? I need to get to Pierre's."
"...Are you sure you want me to have this daffodil?" Haley said. "It's...really pretty. Maybe you should keep it?"
"No, no, take it!" Percy said. "We're friends! Friends give each other gifts, right?"
"Friends? You think we're friends?"
"I mean, aren't we?"
"I don't know. I've only known you for, like, a day."
"Hm...maybe you're right." Percy said. "Well, still, consider it a token of a friendship that could happen."
"Er...alright?"
"OK, I really gotta go!" Percy said, beginning to dash away towards town. "If I don't hurry, all the shops in town will close before I can get my shopping done. See ya, Haley!"
"Yeah..." Haley said, staring at Percy as she left. When she disappeared in the distance, Haley sat down in the long grass, the wild wind playing with her flowing blonde hair. "God, she's weird...but pretty nice too...I guess."
She stared down at the daffodil in her hand. She twirled it around, holding the stem between her palms. She held it up to her face and took a good, long sniff, filling her nose with the gentle, fragrant, floral scent. For some reason, she began to think of what Emily was talking about the other night, about how Haley was too judgmental of others. She thought of Percy, all the cruel things she thought when she first laid eyes on the farmer. Obviously, she felt like a dick about it now, for having thought such things in the first place. Percy's interest and comments about her photos...it was the first time Haley had found someone who seemed to take this hobby of hers seriously. She had done and said some genuinely very kind things. And here Haley was, thinking the absolute worst of her. She sighed. When had she started to feel so guilty...?
__
Haley was dating Alex.
Or...kind of. Sort of. Maybe, in a way, she was. Neither of them had ever put a label on their relationship. But certainly, when other people saw them around town, they must think they were a couple. They definitely weren't just friends. Though, perhaps they hung out too infrequently to be considered officially dating or whatever? Like, they'd see each other maybe once every other week. And they'd go and get ice cream or go to tan on the beach. Then, thirty minutes later, when they got bored, they decided to cut to the chase. Haley would take Alex to her bedroom and they'd make out and...well, really, they never did much more than that. They got intimate, but neither of them seemed too interested in one another to get too intimate. When it was over, Haley would walk Alex back home, they'd hug, and then part ways, until the next time their bodies demanded attention.
And that was the most important thing for both of them, whether they wanted to admit it or not--the physical necessity of another body to hold and feel and kiss and smell. They were, after all, both lonely, aimless, young people--their appetites for physical intimacy were damn near insatiable. If they were both honest with themselves, their "relationship" was really just a means to an end--a clinical, passionless method to feel the sweet release of sexual pleasure.
But why Alex? There were other young people in town she could have pursued. But she chose him merely because it would be easy. She had dated a thousand other guys just like him; air-headed jocks who thought an interest in sports was a proper substitute for an actual personality. The other young people in town--Sebastian, Elliott, Sam, and the others--Haley was sure they would regard her as too vapid and shallow. But Alex? Haley assumed vapid, shallow women were his type--and she was absolutely correct. When she would go to the beach with him, sometimes she would try and start conversations that went beyond the surface level. She would try and confide in him about her sense of loneliness and purposelessness. He would just stare at her for a long time before finally saying something unhelpful like, "Man, that sucks." Then he'd try and not-so-subtly turn the conversation back to a less troublesome topic; sports or the weather or whatever else.
Neither of them were really happy with each other. They knew that. So perhaps Haley shouldn't have been so surprised when Alex broke it off.
It was a week or so after Percy arrived. The valley felt a little more lively with new blood. Not that Haley noticed. For her, life was the same old, same old. Lounging on the couch, watching TV, tossing and turning in her bed. The only difference was that now, every other day or so, she would go to the outskirts of town to take photos. It was the only part of her day which she found any comfort and enjoyment in--and, if she was honest, a great deal of that joy came from a secret hope that she might run into Percy, though the farmer was apparently too busy with her work to find time for foraging. Haley was sitting around, waiting for something to come along and occupy her attention. She was relieved, therefore, when she got a call from Alex. He asked if she was free to come to the beach with him. Obviously, she was, and she headed there right away. She sat on the edge of the dock, waiting for him. A couple minutes passed, and he arrived. She could tell immediately that something about him was different. Usually, when he saw her, he had a familiar, roguish smile. But this time, he looked stolid and somber. Something was wrong.
"What?" Haley said. "What is it, Alex?"
"Haley..." Alex said, sitting down next to her, letting his legs dangle off the dock. "Um...we need to talk..."
"About what?"
"This...this is all wrong."
"Huh?"
"I mean...what we're doing."
"I don't understand."
"Our...our relationship...or whatever you wanna call it." Alex said, sighing. "I've just been doing some thinking...and...I think it's wrong. And it's gotta stop."
"What are you talking about?"
"We don't love each other, Haley." Alex said. "I mean, come on, let's just be honest..."
"Yeah, no shit we don't." Haley said. "But what does that matter? This was never about love."
"True, but..." Alex said. "I want something more. I...I've reached the part of my life where I've gotta start thinking about...y'know...having a more dedicated relationship?"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Haley said.
"Haley...we're not in high school anymore." Alex said. "We've gotta grow up sometime. For me...growing up means finding, like...a real relationship. A woman I actually love...not just a woman who I want to mess around with. I mean...don't you see where I'm coming from here...?"
"Yeah, no, I get it." Haley said. "I'm just shocked. Since when did you grow a fucking brain?"
"Excuse me!?" Alex said.
"All this talk about growing up, wanting a more serious relationship...I mean, that's not the Alex I know!" Haley said. "The Alex I know is a dumb fucking jock who only cares about sports and fucking pretty blonde girls. What happened to that guy?"
"Listen, I'm not as stupid and immature as you think!" Alex said, standing up. "I've done a lot of thinking over the past couple weeks. I'm ready to grow up...and I came here to put an end to this in as mature a way I know how. And here you are, acting all childish, insulting me like this! Just...just fuck off. I should've done this a lot sooner."
"Alex!" Haley said, standing up and calling after him as he walked away. "Alex! Where are you going!? What, are you saying you've outgrown me? That you've also surpassed me, just like everyone else? Is that it!? Alex!"
"I hope you find some kind of peace someday..." Alex said before stepping off the dock and onto the sand of the beach.
"Alex!" Haley continued to call as he walked away. "Alex! Alex! Wait! Wait...wait...please...wait..."
She sat back down. She stared at her reflection in the clear blue water. And she began to sob.
"Dammit..." She muttered. "Why...am I so...so pathetic...?"
__
A few days later, there was a knock on the door. Haley answered. She nearly let herself smile when she saw it was Percy...but she contained herself.
"Hi!" Percy said. "Sorry, am I bothering you?"
"Uh, no..." Haley said. "I was just getting ready to head out and take some photos."
"Oh, perfect!" Percy said. "Listen, speaking of your photography, I've got a business proposal for you!"
"A business proposal?"
"Yeah...meaning there's money in it for you." Percy said, grinning. "I promise I won't just pay you in daffodils...though I can certainly throw those in if you like."
"What do you want, Percy?"
"I want to start a blog for my farm!" Percy said.
"A blog?" Haley said. "That is so fifteen years ago. Who the fuck has a blog nowadays?"
"I don't care if it's trendy or whatever, I just thought it would be fun." Percy said. "My folks back home are always calling and asking about how my new life is treating me. I'd like to have a webpage they can access at any time, so they can see what I'm up to. Also, it would be great for my business too, I think. I could use the blog to promote my farm's products and get consumers interested."
"That's...a surprisingly savvy thing for a farmer to think." Haley said, admittedly impressed.
"Well, I am a former city slicker!" Percy said, laughing. "I know a thing or two about the importance of online marketing from my former job."
"So what do you want me for?" Haley said.
"Well, you're a photographer." Percy said.
"A hobbyist photographer." Haley said. "I'm not a pro."
"You're the closest thing I got to a photographer, then." Percy said. "I was really impressed with those photos you showed me a few days ago. I was thinking--if it's not too much trouble--maybe you could come by my farm sometime and take some photos that I can post online? Like I said, I'm happy to pay!"
"How much are we talking?" Haley said. "I'm not gonna do this for pocket change."
"I was thinking maybe 1000G--"
"1000G!?" Haley said. "I could buy a new purse with that kinda money!"
"I'm happy to pay you that much." Percy said. "I know you'll produce some quality work, and I think it could do wonders to capture the interest of some new customers. 1000G is more than a fair price."
"It's a deal!" Haley said, shaking Percy's hand, before immediately regretting it upon noticing how dirty and sweaty her palm was.
"Great!" Percy said. "So, when can you start?"
"If you're willing to pay me today, I can start right now." Haley said.
"Really?" Percy said. "Well, sure! Why not? Come on. I'll show you around the farm."
__
"It's parsnip season right now." Percy said, leaning against the wooden fence which surrounded the large tilled plot. Haley snapped a photo of the soil, with the leaves of the parsnip plant sticking up out of the ground. "These little guys will be ready to harvest in just a couple days."
"'Little guys'?" Haley said, snickering.
"What?" Percy said. "Is it weird to call parsnips that?"
"Kinda, I guess." Haley said, taking more photos. "They're just plants, not living things."
"Plants are living things, scientifically speaking." Percy said.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, nerd." Haley said. "Here, stay still, and keep leaning on the fence. That'll be a good shot. It makes you look kinda rustic and tough."
"Oh, alright..." Percy said, leaning on the fence as Haley took more photos. When she was finished, a poodle came charging out of nowhere. Barking loudly, the dog approached Haley and jumped up on her leg.
"Eek! Get this thing off me!" Haley said. Percy ran over and grabbed the dog. She lifted it up, carrying the poodle like a baby.
"That's enough, Noodle, no need to scare our guests like that." Percy said, grinning. "Sorry about that. Noodle gets kinda excited meeting new people."
"Noodle...?"
"Yeah! Noodle the Poodle!" Percy said. "Pretty funny, right? ...You don't seem amused."
"I'm not." Haley said, sighing. "It's a silly name. A psychotic dog like this deserves a name like...I don't know...'Loony Larry' or something."
"Oh, come on, Noodle's not 'psychotic', she's just friendly!" Percy said. "Wanna pet her?"
"I'll pass..."
"You know, if you can't handle a poodle, you might not feel comfortable going into take photos of the cows in the barn." Percy said.
"You've got cows in there?" Haley said, pointing to a small red barn in the distance.
"Yeah!" Percy said. "It's a farm after all. You've gotta have cows on a farm! What, did you think I was raising armadillos or something?"
"Hahaha..." Haley said, laughing sarcastically and rolling her eyes. "Alright, let's get this over with. I'll take some photos of your damned cows."
"Yay!" Percy said, putting Noodle on the ground and racing her to the barn. "Come on, Noodly-poo! Let's go!"
"Ugh...why are you running!?" Haley called, trying her best to keep up. "I'm wearing heels, you know!"
__
It was sundown by the time they finished their photo shoot. When they were all done, Percy insisted that Haley stay for dinner. She served her an omelet and fruit salad. As they ate, Haley scrolled through the photos she captured on her camera.
"Oh, man, these are great!" Percy said. "I knew you'd do a good job!"
"This is impressive to you?" Haley said. "Man, you must be easy to please."
"Y'know, I don't get it..."
"Don't get what?"
"You seem to be a pretty confident person...except when it comes to your photos." Percy said, pouring her some wine. "You seem to take every chance you get to talk about how much your photography sucks...but it's just not true. You've got a real talent for this stuff!"
"Hmph...I seem like a confident person to you?" Haley said.
"Yeah, you do..." Percy said. "...Are you not?"
"I guess...I was, at one point." Haley said, sighing. She wasn't sure what she was doing, opening up to Percy like this. But before she second guessed herself, the words came out. "But not anymore. Definitely not anymore. I'm...I'm a fucking mess these days."
"Oh...I'm sorry." Percy said. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's fine." Haley said. "I just...I'm...um...it's just this town. Living here is getting to me. I gotta get out of here."
"Yeah, you told me that when we first met." Percy said. "I'll be sad to see you go but...you gotta do, what you gotta do."
"...Yes." Haley said. "...But...but, y'know...this wasn't a bad day. I...I kinda had fun."
"Really?"
"Yeah." Haley said. "I know I kinda bitched the whole time...I'm sorry about that. My sister, Em...she's always telling me to work on my attitude."
"It's OK." Percy said. "I didn't take any offense to anything you said."
"Still...I should apologize." Haley said. "I'm...I'm just a bitch. Sorry if I've ever come across as mean."
"Actually...you've always seemed pretty nice to me, Haley."
"Nice?" Haley said. "...Are you sure you're talking about me?"
"Yeah." Percy smiled. "Of course I am. I mean it! I think you're nice."
"...No one..." Haley said, staring down at the floor. "...No one's ever told me that...y'know? That I'm nice...?"
"Well, I'm proud to be the first!" Percy said. "I think you're nice, Haley. OK? I hope you believe me..."
"I'll try..." Haley said, before clearing her throat and searching desperately for a way to change the subject. "...Uh, I noticed...you don't seem to have a computer...?"
"No, I don't." Percy said.
"Then how do you plan on making this blog of yours?" Haley said.
"Well...I was just gonna use one of the computers at the library--"
"One of those ancient computers?" Haley said, shaking her head. "You'll be there for ages if you try and make a blog using one of those things. Come by my house. I've got a brand new laptop that'll get the job done in half the time."
"Really?" Percy said, smiling. "Are you sure it's OK?"
"Yeah." Haley said. "I put a lot of work into these photos. I don't want them going up on some shitty-looking blog, alright?"
"I'll...try my best." Percy said, laughing. "How about I stop by tomorrow? Unless you're busy..."
"I'm never busy." Haley said. "There's nothing in this town to occupy my attention."
"Cool, then I'll see you tomorrow." Percy said. "...Oh, by the way, let me go grab your payment."
Percy got up from the table, walked over to a nearby counter, and grabbed a pouch full of gold, setting it down in front of her.
"...On second thought, actually, I...I don't need this." Haley said, picking up the bag and giving it back to her.
"What?" Percy said. "Are you sure?"
"I...I don't want you to pay me." Haley said, finally allowing herself to smile, just a little. "This...this was a lot of fun for me. It wasn't like work at all."
"There's got to be some way I can pay you back though..."
"...Have any more daffodils?"
Percy grinned. She returned to the counter and grabbed a small vase full of them.
"I'm slowly but surely turning your house into a daffodil nursery." Percy said, laughing as Haley accepted them.
"I don't mind!" Haley said, also laughing. "And I'm sure Em doesn't either. They smell nice. And they're really pretty too."
Pretty like you, Haley found herself thinking as she stared at the farmer.
__
The next day, Percy came by the house. Emily answered the door before Haley was able to.
"Percy! Well, this is a surprise!" Emily said. She and Percy had met previously a couple times at the Saloon. "Come in! Come in!"
"Hello, Emily!" Percy said. Haley walked out of her bedroom and into the living room. When she laid eyes on her, Percy's expression brightened immediately. "Haley! Hi!"
"Hey." Haley said, smiling at the sight of her. "Ready to work on the blog?"
"Blog?" Emily said. "What blog?"
"Your sister's helping me put together a blog for my farm." Percy said. "Did she ever tell you she's a very talented photographer?"
"I thought you gave up that hobby a long time ago, Haley?" Emily said.
"Well...I've picked it back up again." Haley said.
"Good! I'm glad to hear it!" Emily said. "Well, I don't wanna interrupt. Feel free to get to work, you two! In the meantime, why don't I make us all some blueberry pie?"
"Oh, no, that's OK, Em--"
"That sounds great!" Percy said. "Thanks, Emily."
"No problem!" Emily said, smiling at Percy before glancing over at Haley and winking. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."
"OK!" Haley said, trying to discreetly shoo her sister away. "Bye, Em!"
Emily went to the kitchen. Haley and Percy sat down on the sofa.
"I've got my laptop." Haley said, opening it and logging in. "I know a website where you can design and host a blog for free..."
"Great!" Percy said, moving closer to Haley so she could get a better look at the computer screen. Haley was delighted to find that Percy--predictably--smelled just like daffodils. "Let's get started!"
After about an hour of tinkering, they finally got the blog looking like how Percy envisioned. It was nothing too fancy, just a collage of the photos and a small blurb of text on a sky blue background. Still, they were both very proud of the result.
"This looks amazing!" Percy said. "...But here, you forgot one little thing."
"What?" Haley said, as Percy took the computer. She added a small line of text at the top of the webpage; Photos Taken By Haley Waters.
"You forgot to credit yourself!" Percy said.
"Oh, yeah..." Haley said. "It slipped my mind, I suppose. Thank you."
"No need to thank me, you deserve to be credited for your great work!" Percy said. "Seriously, Haley. I think you should do this kinda thing as a career. Maybe something to consider for when you move to the city? I'm sure there'll be a lot of people who'd be happy to hire you as a freelance photographer."
"You think so?" Haley said. "I...I just...I really don't think my work is anything special..."
"Well, I know it is." Percy said. "Even if you have a hard time believing it, Haley...I can see just how passion you put into every photo. I...I really do admire that about you..."
"P-Percy..." Haley said. The two found themselves staring at each other when Emily entered the room, carrying two saucers with slices of pie on them.
"Here you are!" Emily said, setting the plates down on the coffee table. "...Oh, sorry. Did I...interrupt something?"
"N-No!" Haley said, blushing. "We were just...putting on the finishing touches."
"I see." Emily said, giving her little sister a knowing look. "You know, Haley...I can't remember the last time I've seen you this happy."
"Em!" Haley said.
"What?" Emily said, laughing. "All I'm saying is, I think Percy should come over more often from now on!"
"I'd be happy to!" Percy said. "This was a lot of fun! And the blog looks great. My family will be happy to see it, I'm sure! I'll be sure to tell them my friend took these photos."
"Friend...?" Haley said.
"Yeah!" Percy said. "Certainly you'd consider us friends by now, right?"
Haley grew silent for a moment. Then she nodded.
"Duh, of course we're friends!" She said. "Thanks, Percy..."
__
The next morning, while Haley was eating breakfast, Emily came inside, carrying a magazine.
"You've got some mail." Emily said, putting it down on the table.
Haley picked up the magazine. It was one she subscribed to a while back, full of nothing but listings for apartments in the city.
"Eh, you can toss it." Haley said. "It's just junk."
"Really?" Emily said, flipping through its pages. "There might be a good offer in here."
"I'm...I'm gonna stick around town for a little bit longer, I think." Haley said.
"Is that so?" Emily said, grinning.
"Yeah." Haley said. "It...it can be kinda nice here...sometimes..."
"Add that to the list of things I never thought I'd hear you say." Emily said. "You know, that list has been growing quite a lot in the past couple days."
"Shut up, Em..."
"You going to see Percy today?"
"Maybe..."
Emily raised an eyebrow.
"OK, yes, I am!" Haley said. "We're going to pick flowers in the meadow later today."
"Good!" Emily said. "You two have fun! I gotta head to work. Make sure to wear sunblock, OK? And pack some lunch too!"
"I will, I will." Haley said. "See ya, Em."
"See ya."
Emily tossed the magazine the trash before rushing out the door. Haley went over to the bin and stared down at the magazine. She then went to her room to grab the yearbook. She returned and tossed it in the can, landing right on top of the magazine. She then slammed the lid shut, smiling as she went to the fridge to decide what to pack for her picnic lunch with Percy.
__
Many weeks later, at the end of spring, Percy brought her another bouquet. This one had daffodils, yes, but lots of other flowers too. Haley was in the middle of the big new project she was undertaking; finally converting her closet into the dark room she always wanted. She was in the middle of hanging some lights from the ceiling when that familiar knock came on the door.
"Come in, Percy!" Haley said, knowing it was her without her even needing to say a word.
"Hey!" Percy said. "Whoa! You've been doing a lot of work in here!"
"Yeah...it's been fun!" Haley said, coming down from the stepladder. She didn't even notice Percy had her hands behind her back. "What are you up to?"
"I was in the meadow all morning." Percy said.
"What? Without me?" Haley said. "You should've told me! It would have been fun to have another picnic and photo shoot!"
"We can go again soon!" Percy said. "Next time we're there, I swear I'm gonna teach you how to fish."
"Ugh! No thanks!" Haley said. "Fish are slimy! And worms are gross! That is not my kind of hobby. I'll stick to photography, thank you very much."
"It can be very relaxing." Percy said. "One day, I'll show you what I mean! There's so many things I'm looking forward to doing with you, Haley..."
"Percy...?" Haley said as Percy began to smile. She revealed the object she was hiding behind her back; a bouquet. "What is this for?"
"A gift...for you." Percy said. "I could've just bought one at Pierre's but...I thought it'd be more special if I went out and gathered all the flowers myself. I wanted it to feel special."
"Wait..." Haley suddenly realized where this was going. "Percy, you...?"
"I...I like you, Haley." Percy said, beginning to blush. "I really, really like you. And...it...it makes me sad that you...don't feel like you're valued. That you feel lost and like...you're wasting your life. I want to tell you that you're not. You bring me so much joy, so much happiness...I've never felt this way about anyone else."
"Percy..." Haley said. "I mean...of course, I like you too! I...I didn't even try to hide it, y'know? But...I can't...accept this..."
"Why?"
"Because...I'm not a good person, Percy." Haley said. "I told you...that night...when I went to take photos of your farm. I'm...I'm mean. I'm selfish. I'm an asshole. I don't deserve your love--"
Percy grabbed her and kissed her.
"Don't you dare talk like that about yourself." Percy said. "You are a good person, Haley. Even if you made mistakes in the past...it doesn't matter. You deserve to be loved. I want to love you."
"Percy...are you sure? Are you sure...you...don't think I'm bad?"
"I know you're not." Percy said. "I know you're good. And I know that...that I love you...and that if you'll let me, I will gladly spend the rest of my life trying to show you just how good I think you are. Because you deserve it...Haley..."
"P-Persephone..." Haley said, grinning and burying her face in Percy's chest. "...Quick. Kill the lights."
Percy grinned and switched off the red light. Haley pressed her against the wall and they began to kiss again.
"Mmm..." Haley whispered when she noticed that familiar scent. "Daffodils..."