Chapter Text
Chapter 1 Bayou Barnyard
Something loud bounced me out of sleep, “Whaa?” I mumbled. The bus driver cursed and I saw smoke rising from the engine. It slowly glided to a stop by the side of the road. Sometime during my nap the concrete and skyscrapers where I’d used to live and work shifted into rolling hills still slightly brown from the just departed winter.
“Well, looks like this is the end of the line kid.” the driver said. She was blonde, actually looked much younger up close and had a face marked with many laugh, smile, and frown lines. The massive amounts of eyeshadow kind of threw off the effect though.
“Wait, is this Pelican Town?” I asked through a small spike of anxiety.
“A-yup.” the driver said, “and this scrap heap isn’t going anywhere else today.”
I grabbed my suitcase and purse. The road tapered even more further down and almost seemed to be swallowed by the coming wilderness. A man stood at the side of the road, fairly old with greying hair, a grey mustache and a cabby cap. He wore suspenders over a green button-up with yellow tie and brown neat looking but sturdy shoes. A worried frown wrinkled his brow before he smiled broadly at me, an expression that looked well-worn and comfortable.
“Ah, you must be Shiori!” he said and wringed my hand enthusiastically. “Welcome to Pelican Town!” My mind clicked and I returned a smile of own.
“Mayor Lewis? It’s good to be here.” he nodded at his name.
“The townsfolk have been very curious about the new farmer.”
The driver fiddling with the bus engine grunted and I turned.
“Name’s Pam kid.” she smiled, but it looked more like a wince. “Wish we could’ve met under better conditions.” I looked past her shoulder, I didn’t know anything about mechanics but even I was sure engine parts usually weren’t colored black or hanging loose. She straightened up and sighed.
“She’s done for Lewis.” she said, defeat coloring her words. Lewis nodded in symphony.
“It’s okay Pam, we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.” Pam gave a melancholic nod and took a left at the fork of the dirt road.
“But let's not dwell on that.” Lewis said. “Your grandfather’s farm is this way!” he began walking, far faster than I’d expected from someone his age and I had to hurry to keep up.
“Good man, he did so much for the valley.” Lewis said fondly. “We had Robin inspect the cottage and put in a produce shipping box, when you start harvesting put it in and I’ll come by and pick it up in the morning, rain or snow!”
The trees grew thicker until I could hear the trickle of a brook. The sound grew louder as we continued until it became a murmur of something larger flowing. Lewis stopped and I almost bumped into him. I looked around in confusion until I could make out a wooden cottage in a sea of green.
“Here we are!” Lewis announced.
Oh dear. The farm was more of a forest then anything, maples, oak, and pine existed as one mass of green with grass as high as I was and weeds choking out everything that wasn’t covered in a leafy canopy. We approached and crossed a set of planks over a stream running through a 3 foot deep groove. I saw another to the side and realized the grooves ran throughout the area of the farm almost like the land was on stilts above the water. Maybe a river delta was a better description.
“Oh, this is neat.” I said in spite of the massive amount of future work pressing down on me.
“Yes it is, one of the best fishing spots in the valley.” Lewis agreed, “Willy used to love coming by.”
“Willy?”
“Our local fisherman, he probably knew your grandfather better than anyone else in town.”
“Oh, where does he live?”
“Down by the docks, he’s been out for a fishing trip for around a month, I’m sure he’d love to meet you when he gets back.” I digested his words and looked around again.
“It looks like it needs a little work.” I said. He chuckled.
“Yes, your grandfather stipulated only his blood was allowed to be here without express permission, I think he meant it to protect the land but we also couldn’t maintain it.” he shrugged. “There is a lot of building materials here though.” he said. “You could probably sell it to Robin, our carpenter to tide you over a little until your first harvest.”
The sun settled lower in the sky and the shadows seemed to give the place an otherworldly feel. It felt more magical than scary though.
“This could be fun actually.” I muttered.
“That’s the spirit!” Lewis said and checked his watch. “Wow, that late already. I need to get back to my elected duties.” he smiled. “If you need any information about the town don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you Mayor Lewis.” I said and bowed slightly at the waist, he shook my hand and left.
The house was in pretty good condition if sparse. A fireplace sat in the middle of the back wall with two windows on the left. A small but comfy looking bed sat in the lower right-hand corner, it even had a basic TV. A yellow package sat in the center of the room. I opened it and took out 15 packs of parsnip seeds.
“Welcome to Pelican Town!” the letter had an efficient but flowing script. “Here’s a few free samples to get you started with plenty more to be bought at my store! Please come visit soon, we’d love to meet you. Pierre.”
“Well that was nice of him.” I said feeling better already, I put them on the nightstand by the bed and turned in for the night The usual rumble of traffic and trucks downshifting on the highway was absent in favor of soft cricket chirping and the steady but distant flow of water. Even with the massive job ahead of me I couldn’t help but drink in the peaceful night.