Dear Ma, This is it, then. My bags are packed, and Dad’s sending me to the bus station tomorrow. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be living on Grandpa’s old farm down near the coast, at the province of Stardew Valley. I would tell you about the province itself: the rolling plains, the thick forests, the crystal-clear streams and rivers that urbanites can only dream of. Dad told me tales of his youth as we were packing my bags, where he could forage for sweet berries and pretty flowers, where he could fish in the ponds teeming with fish. But this is not what I was writing about. I thought college and education was supposed to be a liberator. When I received my degree in Business and Administration at the commencement ceremony, I felt free. I felt that I could conquer everything. Working at the Joja Corporation extinguished that feeling. Market analysts may have a fancy title, but working felt like… prison. I was scared. Was I condemned to working at this cubicle for the rest of my youth? And so, after a while, I opened the letter that Gramps gave me. I’ll be leaving some friends at the city. My gig as a DJ since college gave me some of the best friends that I have ever had. Saying goodbye to them will be painful. I only told some of my closest buddies and mentors, and they’ll see me before I step on the bus and leave this city. Don’t really want to make a scene and get any second thoughts. Heh, I can imagine the rumors from the local urban music circles right now: “DJ Queen-Q disappeared!” Maybe my fans would accuse me of being selfish… and I think they’re kind of right. But leaving this city is for my own sake. Well, time to head to bed. A new chapter’s about to begin! Love, Qhon --- “Can’t believe that you’re leaving us,” Anderson sighed as I heaved my luggage into the bus’s cargo hold. Anderson is one of my college friends that introduced me to the underground music scene, and made me fall in love with it. His face is one of slight sorrow. I sighed. “Sometimes, I can’t believe it too. Like, I’m in a dream, and I’m due to wake up at any moment.” “Look at the bright side, kid!” ThunderP chuckled, motioning to Anderson. “Now that the Queen is retiring, you can fill the void that she made! Also, the Queen brought a lot of her records, so she ain’t exactly trying to forget about us!” ThunderP, a middle-aged man and a minor celebrity of sorts in the local music scene, taught me a lot about the art of disk jockey-ing. “Don’t come back after a month and said that you have regretted this!” He cracked open a smirk on his relatively wizened face. “Oh, so I won’t be annoying you in your days off?” I shot back a smirk of my own at my mentor. “Don’t worry; the farm still has mail and telephone service, so I’ll annoy you whenever I damn like!” I let off a laugh. A girl ran into the little friend circle that we have formed, wheezing and panting. “Oh, Jackie!” I said as she struggled to regain her composure. “I thought that you’ll never gonna come!” “Sorry, senpai!” Jackie cried out, between wheeze. “My alarm clock wasn’t working, and I woke up half an hour late! I tried getting here as fast as I can!” I smiled. Jackie, now a college junior, was a freshman when she asked me as her upperclassman to show her everything about the music scene. She herself is a budding artist, and she reminded me of myself just a few years ago. “Just teasin’ ya!” I grinned. I looked at Anderson. “Anderson, meet Jackie. I’m not sure if you two met, but if not, Jackie is a budding artist from our school, and I think she would have a lot to gain if she gets proper mentorship.” Anderson’s eyes brightened, with any hints of sadness on his face now disappeared. “No probs, boss! Just be sure to check back on us to tell us how you’re doing…” He grinned. “…and about the dating scene! I could sure use a girlfriend, and country gals are all the rage!” I raised my eyebrow. “You know that, as a lesbian, I am basically one of your rivals in the dating scene, right?” “Aww, come on! Two wolves can hunt the same caribou pack. That’s what wingmen are for!” Before I had the time to retort to Anderson that his analogy is kind of flawed, the bus driver, deciding that it is time, called out to all passengers still on the terminal platform. “All remaining passengers, this is the seven o’clock bus to Stardew Valley! Please board the bus, we’re leaving in two minutes!” That’s my queue. “Well, better head on the bus.” I started up on the stairs of the bus, and looked back to my friends. “Well, I’ll see you guys next time.” I felt tears welling in my eyes. “Just call, kid! You know my number,” responded ThunderP. “Don’t worry about us, just take care of yourself,” cheered Anderson. “We’ll try and visit!” Jackie cried out. Friends. What could I do without them? I nodded. “Thanks, my friends. Farewell!” I took my seat. It was a window seat, so I can see the transition from the concrete buildings to the rolling plains. My friends were waving at me, smiles on their faces. I waved back. Am I going to see them again? The bus started moving, pulling away from the terminal. My friends, from my window, became smaller and smaller. The bus then turned a corner, and I can’t see my friends anymore. I sighed. “And thus, a new chapter begins,” I muttered to myself. --- A prologue of the story of my farmer. I'm not sure if I wanted to continue on, or if my style of writing may need a little more work. But, this is what I got, and I'm pretty happy with it, and I wanted to share this! PS: A screenie of Qhon: The two white circles between her head reminded me of headphones.
Definitely an interesting start so far. You've definitely got Qhon as a character established pretty well, I must say. If you decide to continue it, best of luck!
Dear Ma, I have currently arrived at Gramp’s cabin. The mayor of the nearby Pelican Town, Lewis, said that I should take some rest because of the bus ride. I remembered getting to the cabin should take about four hours… well, the bus ride took twice as long! Remind me to get a car and not take the JoJaBus anymore! The furnishing is a bit sparse. The town’s carpenter, Robin, furnished most of the furniture (I do like the bonsai tree) and refurbished the cabin so that the cabin would be livable; I cannot imagine how long did the cabin stayed empty, and it could be entirely possible that it’s on the verge of collapsing when I claimed the land. I do smell some fresh lumber inside… I thought that there would be at least telephone service here. Obviously, asking for Internet is a bit too much, but... I’ve been looking around everywhere and there’s no telephone jack to be seen. Shoot… now that I think of it, I don’t see any free electrical outlet, too, save for one that the old TV's plugged into… Thank Yoba there’s a fireplace. I guess I’ll light it up before the sun sets and finish writing this… Alright, the glow of the fireplace is bright enough for me to continue. The glow… it makes me… kind of nostalgic. There was that same glow alongside Grandpa’s cot as he handed me the letter. I miss him, Ma. Do you miss him, too? I remembered that, when I was younger, you would always argue with him to sell Gridania and move in with us in the city. He would, in your own words, “be a stubborn donkey” and would refuse, to his dying breath. Ma, can you say hi to him? For me? Love, Qhon --- Second diary entry.
