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Harvey exited the bus, holding his mother's hand, as he took in the environment of this town he was visiting. He had never been to Stardew Valley before, but was there to see some family. He had previously lived too far away to make the trip so he only saw family from his mother's side if they were at a closer relative's house. Recently though, Harvey and his family moved closer to their family to see them more often. Harvey was shocked at how small the town was, and even more so, at how hospitable all the residents were. Several villagers they had encountered had given them a warm greeting despite not knowing who they were in the slightest. Harvey tightened his grip slightly on his mother's hand. They had come earlier than they had planned, so their family wouldn't be fully prepared to greet them. Harvey's mother was briefly on the phone with her sister, figuring out where to meet her. Her sister told them they could meet her at the town's ranch where she was buying supplies for her own livestock; Harvey and his mom could help her take the stuff back home, and his father and little sister could go ahead and bring their luggage to her house. Harvey was nervous. He hadn't seen his aunt and uncle in many years and he had been very young at the time, so his memories were fuzzy. As Harvey approached the ranch with his mother, he noticed a small child with dark hair sitting in the fenced in area at the ranch petting a chicken. When he saw company approaching, he rushed inside. Harvey assumed he must be the ranch owner's kid or something. Harvey and his mom entered the building and when Harvey's aunt saw them, her face lit up.
"Jenna! Harvey! You're here!" Harvey's aunt hugged his mom tightly, then knelt down to hug Harvey next.
"Yeah, sorry, we came a little early." Jenna chuckled.
"Oh, don't worry about it. I was just buying some supplies for my animals."
A new woman stepped in, who Harvey assumed was the owner of the ranch. She greeted Harvey's mom and introduced herself as Marnie, then noticed Harvey standing silently at her side.
"Oh, who's this?" Marnie asked.
"This is my son Harvey. Harvey, say hi."
Harvey waved shyly.
"Harvey, you don't seem too much older than my nephew Shane, you two should play together."
Harvey realized that was who he saw petting the chicken. The woman called Shane's name, but heard no response. She ended up finding him hiding under a blanket, not wanting to be involved with the company. Marnie picked him up despite his squirming and protests and brought him back to the front of the building with her.
"Sorry, he's a bit shy, but I'm sure he'll warm right up to you." Marnie tried to put Shane down, but he clung to her like a leech. "Shane, this is Harvey. He's a new friend."
"I don't wanna new friend..." Shane mumbled.
"Uh, it's really okay, you don't need to force him to play with Harvey..." Jenna said.
Marnie laughed. "I guess my motivations are a little more selfish than I'd like to admit. Shane has been living with me for a while because of some issues with his parents, and all this time I haven't been able to get him to play with any of the local children." Her smile slightly faded. "I'm sorry to use your son like this, but I need Shane to make a friend..."
Harvey perked up. He has always been the type to love helping others, so he would take any chance to help Shane even though he was a stranger.
"It's okay, I'll play with him." Harvey spoke up.
All three women looked at Harvey.
"You sure?" Jenna asked.
Harvey nodded with a smile.
Harvey was now sitting on the dock by the pond with Shane in complete silence. Marnie had practically kicked Shane out of the house so he was stuck with Harvey. Harvey hadn't realized how hard it would be to start a conversation with him. He had also realized that Shane was not close to his age. Marnie must have said they were close in age just to try to force Shane to engage. Shane looked down into the water absentmindedly, watching the fish swim around.
"So, uh... how old are you? I'm 10." Harvey said, trying to start a conversation.
Shane shyly held up a hand displaying four fingers.
"Oh, so you're 4? My little sister is 5, but she's with my dad." Shane didn't react to Harvey's attempt to get him interested in the conversation, so he tried a different approach. "I saw you petting a chicken earlier. Do you like chickens?"
Shane perked up a little, actually looking at Harvey for a brief second, then nodding. Harvey smiled. He decided this would be a good start.
"Why don't you introduce me? I've never pet a chicken before."
Shane's face, despite still being very closed off, lit up slightly. He nodded, then stood up, grabbing the hem of Harvey's shirt to lead him to the pen. Instead of going through the house, they just climbed through the fence and went to where the chickens were pecking at hay and feed. Shane looked up at Harvey with a bashful look on his face.
"E-Ella..." Shane said quietly while pointing at a white chicken with black speckles.
Harvey was shocked that Shane had finally spoken to him. "Ella? Is that her name?"
Shane nodded. Shane bent down and pet the chicken gently, then looked up at Harvey expectantly. Harvey realized it was an invitation and bent over to pet the chicken too. Before Harvey could even touch the chicken, it got spooked by Harvey's close proximity and started to squawk and flap its wings, knocking over Shane. Harvey immediately felt guilty, seeing the scared look on Shane's face, hoping he wouldn't hate Harvey now and run away from him. But to Harvey's surprise, Shane started to scold him.
"Too fast! You scared her!" Shane stood up and stomped his little foot. "Aunt Marnie's gonna be mad at me cuz now I'm dirty." Tears started to well up in Shane's big eyes.
Harvey realized an apology would do little to help the situation. He only now noticed the impact of his accident with the chicken. Shane was covered in dirt and mud, all on his clothes, body, and hair. The pout on Shane's face only further reminded him of how young he was, and he couldn't expect a four-year-old to understand that Harvey didn't do it on purpose. Harvey stood and took Shane's hand, surprising him.
"C'mon, I'll tell Miss Marnie it was my fault. And I'll help you clean up, okay?" Harvey offered.
Shane didn't say anything, but he stopped trying to pull his hand out of Harvey's grip and let him lead him back into the house. Harvey tried to sneak past the adults without them noticing the dirty little toddler he was pulling behind him, but it was like they all had some sort of sixth sense. Marnie was the first to notice.
"Shane! What have I told you?" Marnie huffed. She marched over to where Shane was now frozen and gripping Harvey's hand more tightly than before. "And you already had a bath earlier." She sighed, reaching to take Shane into her arms. Harvey decided now was the time to take responsibility.
"It was my fault, Miss. I accidentally scared a chicken and made him fall into the mud. I'm sorry."
Marnie's expression softened. "You don't need to be sorry, dear. Shane knows better than to go into the animal pen without me there to watch him. Especially right after I had him all cleaned up."
Shane looked down at the floor.
"Harvey, we were leaving anyway. Say bye to Shane and come carry this bag of feed."
Harvey nodded at his mom then knelt down to Shane's eye level. "I had fun with you even though it wasn't that long. Sorry I got you dirty."
Shane looked surprisingly sad that Harvey was leaving and was very hesitant to let go of the older boy's hand. He awkwardly stepped to the side and waved goodbye. Harvey joined his mom and aunt and walked into the direction of Pelican Town. Harvey hoped he would see Shane again.
Shane stood still as Marnie dried him off after his second bath of the day. Shane was tense, awaiting the yelling and hitting that he was accustomed to, but it never came. Instead, soft, gentle hands dried off his clean skin and helped him into fresh clothes. Once he was dressed, Marnie took him into her arms and carried him to his room. She sat down on his bed and held Shane in her lap. It broke her heart to see how nervous Shane still was, even after she had bathed him and assured him she wasn't mad at him. After Harvey and his family left, Marnie felt immediate regret when she looked back at Shane who was shaking and had a terrified look on his face. When Marnie approached him to pick him up, he burst out into tears and started spewing apologies. Marnie shushed him and told him he wasn't in trouble and that she was only going to help him clean up, but that did little to soothe him. Marnie now sat with her little nephew in her lap, contemplating what more she could do to help him relax. She rubbed his back gently and tried once more to give him reassurance.
"Shane... I promise I'm not mad at you. I'm sorry I scared you."
Shane stayed silent and still, not reacting. Marnie hugged him tightly, trying to lighten the mood.
"What am I gonna do with you, huh? Such a mess."
The tension in Shane's little body seemed to dissipate and he finally hugged Marnie and nuzzled his face into her shoulder. Marnie knew she would have to make Shane his favorite snack as an apology for scaring him. Marnie laid Shane down in his bed, telling him it was time for a nap. Shane was sad that Marnie was leaving, but didn't have the energy to whine or cling to her. She tucked him in and gave him his favorite stuffed animal and a kiss on the forehead. She was about to leave, but decided to ask a few questions.
"Did you have fun with Harvey? Is he your new friend?"
Shane nodded. "He's... nice."
Marnie smiled. "Do you want me to see if he would want to play with you another time?"
Shane nodded again, a little more excitedly. Marnie ruffled his hair.
"Then I'll make sure to get in touch with his mom."
Shane soon drifted into sleep, imagining the fun he would have with Harvey when they got to see each other again.