Chapter Text
It’s a dark winter’s day when Ivy’s parents bring her to her grandpa's farm. They used to visit his farm every weekend, though they haven’t for the last few months. All Ivy has been told is that he is ill and needs time to recover. Her parents still visit him occasionally, but they refuse to bring her. Until today.
When they arrive to her grandpa’s farm, she’s bouncing up and down, thinking they would tend to the farm like before, but she stops dead in her tracks when she sees the state of Westview Farm. All the coops and barns have been taking down, not a single animal in sight, and the only crops left are weak and dying. There are weeds everywhere, and trees cover half the farm. It’s nothing like it was the last time she visited.
Her mood completely deflates. She feels her mother’s gentle hand guide her into the farmhouse, her father trailing behind them both. The door opens with a soft creak that wasn’t there before. When she walks in, she sees her grandpa laying in his bed. His hair is almost fully white now, and he looks ten years older than he is. Ivy rushes over to him, a clear sadness and concern that shouldn’t be on a seven-year old’s face. He holds her hand, his grip weaker than ever before. Without any words he hands her a sealed envelope.
“I don’t want you to open this, not yet.” He says weakly, his voice quiet and tired. “I want you to open when the pressure of modern work gets too much, when that spark in your eyes start to fade. That’s when I want you to open it.” Ivy’s eyes widen, holding the envelope in her hands like it might shatter like glass if she holds it wrong. Her grandpas voice fills her hears once again. “And I want you to know that’ll always love you. I’ll always be with you, no matter what.”