The table was completely covered in delicious dishes. My mouth was salivating before they’d even finished laying everything out. Kiandra sat at the table as Ella put out the finishing touches, the young child drumming her fingers on the thick wood and eyeing the plates. It was clear she was just as excited as myself, and perhaps equally as impatient. Ella bustled about making sure we had this or that jam or jelly or spoon.

Finally, Ella sat down and smiled at me. “Sorry, we so rarely have guests. I’m not used to it.”

“Well it all looks fantastic,” I said, speaking truthfully. And it did. Freshly baked loaves of bread. Two types of soup, dried meats, and fried vegetables of an astonishing variety. I didn’t even know where to begin.

“Can I eat already!?” Kiandra whined.

Ella and I shared a glance before both bursting into laughter.

“Of course, please, dig in. Both of you,” the elf maiden encouraged.

So I did, with gusto. My favorite dish of the whole meal was what I discovered to be a lovely pumpkin soup. Coming in a close second was Ella’s homemade bread and apricot jelly. The only thing Ella had not made from scratch were the vegetables. She did not have farmland like myself and so she’d gotten them in return for several books and maps from other locals..

“You have to teach me how to make bread like this, and soup! I saw a quest to make some but I don’t have any of the materials. Being a farmer is harder work than I ever would have imagined,” I said through a mouthful of deliciousness.

Ella smiled broadly. “I would love to teach you, and I can give you some cooking materials to start.”

“Really? I promise I’ll pay you back, that would be fantastic Ella. But my inventory is a little full at the moment…” I said, checking to see only two slots remaining.

Ella waved her hands at that. “I have some business at Leyanna’s, I can bring some by afterward. I can borrow her horse.”

“Thanks!” I was glad Ella was delivering it and I wouldn’t have to ride horseback again so soon. As fun as last night had been, another ride down the cobblestones at breakneck speed was the last thing I wanted on a full stomach.

The meal passed pleasantly as did our best to make small talk. I could see that Ella was shy around me but Kiandra had no such qualms.

“How old are you?” the little girl asked, growing bored with her soup.

Ella shushed her. “That’s rude, please don’t ask personal questions of our guest!”

“It’s alright,” I said. “I can handle myself. I dealt with a lot tougher lines of questioning in my work. I’m twenty-eight!”

Kiandra gawped. “But you look so old! My sister is older than you but she looks much younger.”

“And prettier too, but don’t hold that against me!” I joked, earning me a giggle from Kiandra and a blush from Ella.

But Kiandra wasn’t done with her cross-examination of me. “Are you married? Sis says she doesn’t want to be married but I want to wear a pretty dress and-”

Ella clamped her hand over her younger sister's mouth and gave me a forced e smile. “Ok, I think it's time to clean up, why don’t you give me a hand George?”

“Gladly,” I said, smiling.

So she isn’t married. Yet another win for the home team.

***

After I’d helped put away and wash the dishes I politely excused myself. It was nearly 5:00 pm. Even though she was coming by with food later, Ella made sure to fill up my remaining inventory slots with three loaves of bread and a stack of apricot jelly.

[ Inventory 7 / 7

Seawood

Pebbles

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

Rusty fishing rod

Map of Halfmoon Hills

Beginner’s Guide to Farming

Loaves of Bread (3)

Apricot Jelly (5) ]

I was stuffed. I walked over the cobblestones happily, feeling like nothing could get me down. I had my books and I had food, and I had a cute new elf lady friend. Life was looking up!

But what about home?

The sudden intrusive thought hit me like a ton of bricks. Work would be wondering where I was. I had no way to reach anybody. I scratched my head. But I still had absolutely no leads on the wizard! It was easy to get caught up in life here, the rhythm and magic of every day. I tended to forget that my old job and life were even real. Every hour I spent here my memories of before became more dream-like. Farther away.

Would it be so bad, if I just stayed?

Before I knew it I was back at the farm, my feet had carried me instinctively. The route had become ingrained in me and I didn’t even need to consult my new map. Max came bounding up to me as I got onto the property and I grinned giving him a good head rub as he grunted happily.

“Wait till I tell you about the day I’ve had buddy, it's a doozy!” I said.

He yapped happily in response and I felt affection flood me. Sometimes, a man’s dog is the only company he needs.

Then I saw it, in the corner of my eye, and my heart sank. It was a flutter of black wings that alerted me to it first. Crows taking flight. I walked past Max and surveyed the damage. One of my tomato plants had been totally eaten by crows and another looked damaged.

Are you kidding me!? Those cost me everything and took a whole day to plant and water!

I’d lost cases that had made me less furious. These tomatoes were like my babies. Damnit! I sighed and cleaned up the mess. Then I pruned the broken stem on the damaged plant.

Max whined and licked his lips, watching me. He clearly picked up on the fact that I was upset.“It’s okay boy, let's go inside. I’m gonna stock the pantry, and Ella will be over this evening, maybe she’ll even have a treat for you too!”

Max wagged his tail excitedly and barked. I smiled. “How about this for now,” I procured a piece of driftwood and before I had a chance to throw it he grabbed it in his mouth and began to bound around happily. I laughed as I watched him. “Well I was planning on playing fetch together but, okay you enjoy! I’ll unpack on my own”.

I got to work organizing while Max ran about the long grass with his new toy. I emptied the seawood and pebbles into the chest, as well as the fishing rod. I made a mental note that I should take this new item to the pond, river, or ocean the first chance I got tomorrow. Next, I went inside and emptied the bread and jam into the pantry. I still had almost all my energy and I felt restless, so I opened the farming book and leafed through it. Perhaps there was something I could do about the crow menace.

I found it near the front:

[ Scarecrow

Use: Keeps wild birds and animals from feeding on your crops

Build Time: Instantaneous

Requires:

* Fibrous plant materials (3)

* Chopped Wood (5) ]

I closed the book excitedly. I already had the plant materials, I just needed to chop down wood! This was perfect! I rushed outside and towards the chest, withdrew the axe, and prepared to get to work. I passed Max who was sitting in the middle of a patch of grass, chewing happily on the driftwood. He looked up at me and raised his eyebrows as if prepared for me to challenge him.

I only laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s all yours buddy. I’m about to become a lumberjack!”

The first tree I found was extremely large. I hefted the axe and swung it. The blade lodged itself firmly in the wood. I pulled it out to see I’d only made a small scratch.

[ You will need a higher-level axe to cut down this tree ]

Okay, maybe not a lumberjack quite yet. But I’ll come back for that large tree when I upgrade this thing!

I walked off to find a smaller sapling, and once I did I swung my axe and felled it in three attempts. My energy had gone down a commensurate amount with each swing but my inventory had automatically loaded up with 5 chopped wood. Since I was already outside I figured why stop at 5. It stood to reason that wood could be used for several purposes so I continued chopping until I had only twenty energy left and had stocked up on 50 wood.

I was sweating. The summers here were hot, even into the evening. I walked over to the crops. I got some plant materials from the chest and then selected the required items mentally. An option appeared.

[ Would you like to create a scarecrow? ]

“Yes!” I said decisively and pointed at a spot behind all my crops. It materialized instantaneously there and I grinned. It looked a little like the wizard, an unkempt straw man. I patted its shoulder. “Okay, new friend, welcome to the farm. Your job is security. I can’t pay you just yet, but I promise… this will look great on your resume!”

He said nothing and I laughed. Max, having chewed through his stick, came running over and began to bark and prance. We were, my new scarecrow friend, my dog, and I, so engrossed in this moment of camaraderie that none of us noticed a carriage encroaching until a voice yelled:

“George, are you okay?”

I turned to see Ella astride a carriage pulled by a beautiful white horse. She was no longer in her housedress, but instead in a rather fetching red gown with a plunging neckline. Max quieted and stared. So did I. I became acutely aware that I was very sweaty and very much covered in dirt. I waved, it was all I could think to do.

“Um, welcome to Golden Acres!”***