He heard about the new farmer long before he met him in person. While Jon didn't get out much, Pelican Town was a small place where everyone knew each other, so gossip travelled fast. Almost everyone who had a reason to stop into the Library found an excuse to tell Jon the news, starting with Elias informing him of the 'increase in the town's population' when he stopped by the Library on his 'official mayoral rounds'... whatever the hell that meant.

Agnes Montague mentioned crossing paths with him while he was on his way to buy a fishing rod from Peter Lukas and she was bringing the children into the Library for their lessons. A week later Danny was entirely unable to focus on said lessons because he was too excited to tell Jon all about how the new farmer had visited his family’s ranch and adopted one of their newly hatched chickens. Jon actually had to intercede that time, sitting down next to Danny with a book about animal husbandry and helping him to refocus before Agnes lost her temper with the easily distracted boy. He was able to give Agnes a break by holding Danny’s attention for most of the afternoon with interesting facts about the proper keeping and breeding of chickens, right up until his older brother Tim came into the Library to collect him. 

As Jon walked Danny over to the front desk to meet his brother, Jon noted with some dismay that despite the fact that Tim was still in his JojaMart uniform and had clearly just finished work, his eyes were bloodshot and the smell of beer was clearly present on his breath. 

At his little brother’s insistence, Tim dutifully corroborated Danny’s story about the farmer adopting one of their chickens.

‘He’s also in the Stardrop most nights,’ Tim added (which, of course, he would only know if he was also in the Saloon most nights). ‘I think he gets lonely, being out on that old farm all by himself. You should come by sometime. A lot of people spend their Friday nights at the Saloon.’

‘I’ll think about it,’ Jon said, because that was what he always said anytime anyone invited him anywhere. 

On Friday night, Jon did not go to the Stardrop Saloon. 

*

When the first rainy day of spring rolled around, Jon was glad to close the Library a few hours early and head towards the beach. Ever since he was a child, he had always spent rainy days with Gerry, who was probably the only person in town that Jon would actually consider a friend. When they were children, they had spent their rainy afternoons hunting for frogs in the shallows of the mountain lake near Gerry’s house. These days they met up at the beach, to watch the ocean and ‘look for mermaids’.

Indeed, as Jon made his way along the old wooden pier towards what he had come to think of as ‘their spot’. Gerry was already standing there in his long leather coat with his dyed black hair plastered to his skull by the steady rain.

‘Perfect weather for mermaids,’ he said by way of greeting.

‘There is no such thing,’ Jon countered immediately, unable to stop himself from rising to the bait even though he knew that Gerry only said things like that to get a reaction out of him. Gerry was already laughing at him, but Jon ignored that and continued to talk right over the top of him. ‘The only time anyone is likely to see a mermaid in Stardew Valley is if they go to watch the fake ones perform at the Winter Night Market.’

‘How do you know that they’re fake?’ Gerry said, following the well-trodden paths of his favourite argument with the ease of a decades-long friendship. ‘They could be real mermaids.’

‘They’re not,’ Jon insisted. ‘They are women in costumes.’

‘And how would you know? It’s not like you’ve ever actually seen them.’

Of course Jon hasn’t. The very idea of going to see the mermaid show made Jon more embarrassed then he could tolerate, a fact that Gerry was well aware of and not above teasing him over. 

‘I don’t need to see them, I know they aren’t real mermaids simply because you insist that they are, just like you insist that there are dwarves living in the mountains and shadow creatures hidden down in the sewers.’

‘Because there are,’ Gerry said. ‘The fact that you’ve never seen them isn’t evidence that they don’t exist.’

‘But the fact that you’ve never seen them is,’ Jon said haughtily.

Gerry just shrugged. They'd been arguing about whether or not Stardew Valley was ‘a magical place where impossible things can happen’ for so long that at this point neither of them actually expected to give or take any new ground. They were both just too stubborn to let the topic go entirely. 

They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a while, observing the way the rain broke the surface tension of the ocean in a million scattered places.

Eventually, Gerry asked a question with a kind of deliberate casualness that immediately got Jon’s guard up.

‘So… the new farmer’s pretty cute, huh?’

‘I wouldn’t know,’ Jon said suspiciously. ‘I haven’t seen him yet.’

Gerry laughed. ‘Alright then. You can consider yourself warned.’

‘I don’t see why I would require a warning,’ Jon said.

‘You will,’ Gerry said, with a big shit-eating grin.

‘What is that supposed to mean?’

‘Maybe you should come to the Egg Festival this year,’ Gerry continued, as if he hadn’t heard Jon’s question. ‘You’re bound to meet him there.’

‘Am I the only person in this town who isn’t obsessed with the new farmer?’ Jon asked testily.

‘Yes,’ Gerry said. ‘It’s the most interesting thing to happen since Elias and Peter got divorced in the middle of the Luau.’

‘You know I don’t do festivals,’ Jon said. ‘I do not like being around so many people, and I don’t appreciate being lectured about it by the town’s self-described “basement-dwelling goth”.’

‘I’m not lecturing, I’m encouraging,’ Gerry said. ‘Come to the festival, it’ll be fun. Tim is going to try and spike the punch again–’

‘–why?’ Jon interrupted. ‘It never works. Elias knows to watch him like a hawk.’ 

‘Yeah, but it’ll be a laugh when it inevitably blows up in his face,’ Gerry said. ‘This year he has a whole intricate scheme about how to keep Elias distracted. I overheard him trying to recruit Sasha.’

‘I’ll think about it,’ Jon said. 

Gerry rolled his eyes, already knowing that Jon would do no such thing.

*

True to his habit, Jon did not attend the Egg Festival or, for that matter, the Flower Dance, which was why Spring had almost ended before he finally met the new farmer.

Jon was dusting the empty shelves of the museum portion of the Library building, so he didn’t notice anyone come in until he heard an upset voice coming from behind him.

‘Oh no, what happened here?’

Jon turned, and saw Martin Blackwood. His first thought was that he was going to throttle Gerry the next time he saw him. ‘Cute’ was not an adequate warning. The farmer was absolutely gorgeous. He was huge, with what looked like very strong arms and soft, curly red hair. He was wearing overalls over a bright blue t-shirt that brought out the colour in his eyes.

Good lord. Jon suddenly understood why this man’s arrival had caused such a stir.

‘Umm,’ Jon said eloquently. ‘Can I, uhh… help you?’

‘Oh! I’m sorry,’ the most attractive man Jon had ever seen said. ‘I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Martin Blackwood–’

‘–the farmer, yes,’ Jon said. ‘I’ve been informed. Your arrival was quite notable, from what I’ve heard.’

‘Right.’ Martin wrung his hands nervously in front of him. ‘I’m sorry I haven't stopped by sooner. I wanted to say hello to everyone, but the farm is really overrun and I’ve been busy trying to clear it. It feels like I’ve spent the entire season doing nothing but breaking rocks and chopping down trees.’

Jon was suddenly accosted by the mental image of Martin’s arms swinging an axe into a tree with enough force to actually fell it. The thought left him a little lightheaded, and he had to surreptitiously lean against the shelf behind him to steady himself.

‘I’m sorry,’ Martin said again, ‘but I’m not actually sure who you are?’

‘Yes, of course,’ Jon said. ‘I’m Jonathan Sims, the Head Librarian and, ah, I would be the Museum Curator as well, but…’ Jon gestured awkwardly at the empty display shelves all around them. ‘Unfortunately we don’t currently have anything to curate.’

‘What happened?’ Martin asked, as he stepped further into the room to take in the full expanse of empty displays. 

‘I’m afraid the previous Head Librarian and Curator stole our entire collection of artefacts and mineral samples when she left,’ Jon said. ‘Along with almost two dozen books.’

‘That’s awful! Why would anyone do that?!’ Martin seemed very genuinely distressed by the idea.

‘I truly cannot explain why Gertrude Robinson did anything,’ Jon said. ‘This all happened a very long time ago. There’s rumours that she ran away to the desert and started some sort of underground casino.’

‘Really? Is it true?’

‘I wish,’ Jon said grimly. ‘If so, I might have a chance of tracking her down so I can give her a piece of my mind and demand the return of the collection. Instead, the best I can do is try to persuade Elias to funnel some resources into rebuilding it. As you can see, I have been… quite unsuccessful in this.’

‘Is there anything I could do?’

Jon shrugged. ‘The museum has an open donations policy, if anyone should happen to find any artefacts or minerals, but so far no one has–’

‘Oh!’ Martin interrupted. ‘You mean like this?’

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a rock embedded with pale green crystals that seemed to glow faintly when they caught the light.

Jon was stunned. ‘Wh–where did you…?’

‘It was just inside of a geode that I found when I was tilling a new field,’ Martin said sheepishly. ‘I don’t even know what it is. I actually brought it here because I was hoping you could help me identify it?’

‘Yes, of course I can do that, just wait here a moment.’ 

Jon bustled past Martin and back into the Library proper. He knew that there was a book for identifying minerals somewhere near the back…

Unfortunately, when he found it, he saw it was on the very top shelf. He frowned up at it, then jumped slightly when he realised that Martin had followed him and was standing right beside him.

‘I’ll just have to fetch a stool,’ Jon said.

Before he could take so much as a step, Martin casually stretched up, pulled the book off the shelf and handed it to Jon. 

Not trusting himself to speak, Jon opened the book and busied himself with flipping through the pages. Finally, he found what he was looking for.

‘Alamite,’ Jon read. ‘It’s distinctive fluorescence makes it a favourite among rock collectors.’

‘That’s really cool,’ Martin said, considering the rock in his hands. As he shifted it slightly from side-to-side, it cast a shine of refracted light across his face, illuminating his freckles.

Jon swallowed.

Martin looked away from the rock and met Jon’s eyes. ‘So I can donate this to you?’

‘If you like,’ Jon said, working very hard to keep his voice even. ‘I’m, uh, afraid I can’t pay you anything…’

‘Of course not,’ Martin said. ‘It’s a donation.’

He placed the rock onto the open page of the book that Jon was still holding. 

‘Yes, well, if you find anything else interesting, I will happily identify it for you,’ Jon said. 

Martin smiled. ‘That sounds great! I’m sure I’ll see you again soon Jon.’

As the farmer left, Jon found himself sincerely hoping that would be the case.

SUMMER, Year 1

Jon hoped for it, but he didn’t actually expect it. Jon assumed that Martin was only being polite. Surely the farmer would be too busy… farming… to come by the Library with any sort of regularity.

But as Spring faded into Summer, Martin returned to the Library over and over again. He was usually in a couple of times a week, often with new artefacts or minerals to donate to the museum’s suddenly growing collection, sometimes with books that he had apparently found buried all over Stardew Valley.

What had driven Gertrude to steal books from the Library only to bury them in seemingly random spots all over the place, Jon could not even begin to guess. Still, he was very glad to have them returned, even if he did have to dedicate a lot of time to repairing and restoring the dirt-damaged pages and bindings.

Currently, Jon was working on the most recent tome that Martin had recovered (Marriage Guide for Farmers). He carefully cleaned each individual page free of dirt with a soft brush while Martin watched. For some reason, Martin had started hanging around the library after he’d dropped things off, taking the time to chat with Jon about his farm and the things he had discovered while exploring the valley. Jon had grown used to having Martin present while he catalogued his donations and wrote up placards to accompany their displays in the Museum. It was nice to have someone to talk to while he worked. Jon hadn’t realised how empty the Library was, most of the time.

‘I, uh, I wouldn’t mind borrowing that, once it’s back in circulation,’ Martin said. ‘Assuming you’re ever willing to let any of these books out of your sight ever again, that is.’

‘Of course,’ Jon said. ‘They are library books, after all. They’re no use to anyone if they can't be read.’

‘True,’ Martin agreed.

‘However, I am considering attaching a bookplate,’ Jon added. ‘Something to the effect of: From the library of Stardew Valley. Please do not bury me.'

Martin laughed and Jon couldn't stop himself from smiling. Martin had such a lovely laugh.

‘Why did you come here, Martin?’ Jon asked.

Martin frowned. ‘To drop off the book…?’ 

‘No, I mean, why did you come to Stardew Valley?’ The question had been simmering away in the back of Jon’s mind for weeks now, waiting for an opportunity to be asked. Now seemed like as good a time as any.

Martin immediately grew serious. ‘I guess I was… looking for a change. Before I came here, I was trapped in this really terrible job. I thought a lot about coming out here and taking over Grandpa's old farm, but… my mother wasn't well and I couldn’t be sure that I would be able to support her and manage the farm at the same time, so I just… stayed.’

‘That sounds like a very difficult situation,’ Jon said. ‘What made you change your mind?’

Martin grimaced. ‘My mother… passed.’

Oh god. Was Jon capable of getting through a single conversation without ramming his entire foot into his mouth?

‘I’m so sorry,’ he said quickly.

‘Thank you,’ Martin said, automatically. He hesitated for a second, looking unsure, before continuing. ‘If I’m being honest, it was sort of a relief? I know that sounds awful… I did love my mum, but she was suffering for such a long time, and after she was gone I guess I just… I realised that I could make decisions for myself now. I could do something just for me, to make myself happy.’

Oh.

‘Are you happy now?’ Jon asked quietly.

Martin smiled a little sheepishly. I'm working on it. Did I tell you I might be getting cows soon?’

‘No you didn’t, but I would love to hear all about it,’ Jon said, glad to follow the change in topic away from the troubled waters he had accidentally steered them into.

Martin apparently felt the same, because the tension started to bleed out of his shoulders as he elaborated. 

‘Yeah, I was saving up for a barn, but then I realised I would need some silos first.’

‘Why's that?’

‘Because I'll need time to get them full of hay before winter. I need to make sure I have enough feed put away for my chickens, as well as any cows I might get.’

‘That shouldn't be too challenging,’ Jon said. ‘You'll have all of fall to grow feed.’

‘Yeah, but according to Tim, fall is the season I should be focusing on highly profitable crops,’ Martin said. ‘So I'd like to get the silos filled now. It’s just taking longer than I would like because I've been spending so much time in the mines lately.’

‘You what?’ Jon said sharply. He looked up from the book he was restoring, ignoring it completely in favour of glaring at Martin. ‘What did you just say?’

‘Umm… I’ve been focused on mining?’ Martin said, clearly confused.

‘What on earth are you doing that for?’ Jon demanded. ‘Don't you know the mines are dangerous?’

‘Yes Jon, I am very aware of that,’ Martin said. ‘Adelard warned me when I joined the Adventurer’s Guild–’

‘What are you talking about? I thought you were a farmer?’

‘I am,’ Martin said. ‘I've just been doing some exploring in my spare time, that's all.’

‘But why? What would possess you to go digging through the mines?’

‘I don’t…’ Martin was looking at Jon like he was speaking another language. He gestured helplessly towards the museum. ‘Jon, where did you think I was finding all of these?’

Jon looked at the collection of artefacts and minerals that Martin had brought him with absolute horror. Gerry said that the mines were filled with monsters; slimes and skeletons and ghosts, and all manner of things that Jon simply refused to believe in the existence of. Despite all reason, Jon’s head was suddenly filled with the image of Martin being torn apart by some kind of horrible creature, just because Jon mentioned that he wished the museum had an Ancient Drum. 

As it turned out, Jon actually might be willing to let go of some of his scepticism if that was what it took to keep Martin safe. Not that he would admit that in front of Gerry of course. He would never let Jon live it down.

‘Please promise me that you won’t ever go back into the mines,’ Jon said. 

‘What? But what about the collection? Don't you want it to be restored?’

‘I couldn't give a damn about the collection. I'd rather see it all dumped into the ocean than see you at the bottom of some miserable cave with your neck broken,’ Jon said fiercely. ‘If you come back here with any more donations I will be very upset.’

Martin had turned a shade of red that rivalled his hair. 

‘Well, what if I just like having an excuse to visit the Library?’ Martin said quietly. He was fidgeting as he spoke, not meeting Jon's eyes.

‘You don't need an excuse to visit,’ Jon said seriously.

‘I…don't?’ Martin looked up at him with an expression on his face that Jon wasn’t sure how to interpret.

‘Of course not. This is a public building. Anyone may visit at any time.’

‘Ha… sure,’ Martin said. ‘I guess I'm being silly. I just get kinda anxious sometimes, I suppose?’

‘Don't be absurd,’ Jon said sternly, ‘you have nothing to be anxious about.’

‘Oh yeah, Mister I Don't Do Festivals?’ Martin said, raising his eyebrows as he spoke. ‘I haven't even seen you in the Stardrop Saloon.’

‘I am very busy,’ Jon said, looking away from Martin again to refocus on the book.

‘Still, I'd be glad to see you there sometime. Will you at least think about it?’

‘I will,’ Jon lied.

‘Okay, well I guess I’ll, uh, see you later then? Martin said, sounding uncertain. When Jon just nodded, Martin turned to leave. He had almost reached the door to the Library when Jon called out after him.

‘Martin, I mean it. About the mines. I don't want anything to happen to you on my account.’

‘Alright, I promise,’ Martin said, turning back to face Jon. ‘I won't go into the mines again. I might still be able to help with the collection, though. I dig up geodes on the farm all the time, and Peter’s told me that he’s found all sorts of interesting things while fishing. He's been trying to get me to join him, keeps saying he needs to keep the art of fishing alive.’

‘That's perfectly acceptable,’ Jon said. ‘As long as you are safe.’

FALL, Year 1

After that conversation, Martin's donations to the museum decreased drastically. Jon didn’t mind, however, because his visits actually increased. Apparently now that he was not spending any of his time mining, Martin had more energy to focus on expanding his fields and Somewhere Else farm was flourishing for it. Martin came by often to tell Jon all about the new crops he was growing, how his animals were doing and his plans for the future. 

In the final week of fall, Martin rushed into the Library more excited than Jon had ever seen him.

'I've figured out how to grow tea bushes on my farm,’ he said, brandishing a thermos and two camp mugs at Jon.

‘Congratulations,’ Jon said dryly.

Martin’s enthusiasm could not be deterred. ‘Thanks! Unfortunately they only bloom at the end of each season.' Martin grimaced. ‘I really wish I had worked that one out sooner. Unless I can get my greenhouse repaired during winter, which I doubt, this will be the only batch I can brew this year.’

He placed the mugs down in front of Jon and opened the thermos, pouring the tea. 

‘I wanted you to be the first to try it,’ Martin said.

Jon frowned at him curiously. ‘Why me?’

Martin turned bright red at that question, and stuttered as he tried to answer. Jon was immediately horrified at the thought of making Martin think he wasn’t grateful.

‘Not that I don't want to!’ he said hurriedly. ‘It's been ages since I had a decent cup of tea. I would love to try yours.'

‘Ah– alright then,’ Martin said, a distinctly strangled note to his voice. ‘I hope you like it?’

It was easily the best cup of tea Jon had ever had in his life.

WINTER, Year 1

The only social activity outside of the Library that Jon engaged with on any sort of regular basis was a fortnightly RPG night with Gerry. Tonight they finally beat Solarion Chronicles: The Game, although Gerry’s warrior tragically lost her life in the final bossfight.

Despite the freezing winter weather, there was a certain ritual that must be observed when one of their characters died in a game. Jon and Gerry pulled on their coats and headed outside, trekking through the snow towards the mountain lake. 

Gerry flicked his lighter open and held it to the edge of his character sheet. It caught and burned quickly, the rising flames causing illuminated shadows to flicker on Gerry’s hand. It made the many eye tattoos on his fingers look like they were blinking.

‘Goodnight, Tiddies Von Smackya-wan,’ Gerry said. ‘You will be sorely missed.’

Jon patted him on the shoulder. ‘She’s in a better place now.’

‘Yeah, in the fucking lake,’ Gerry said, as he dropped the final scraps of paper into the icy water before the flames could reach his fingers.

They retreated from the shore of the lake towards the house, but by mutual agreement didn’t go back inside immediately, preferring to brave the chill for a little longer to smoke. 

If it weren’t for the comfortable silence that fell between himself and Gerry, Jon might have missed the faint sound of voices echoing around the other side of the house, from the direction of Sasha’s bedroom.

‘Is that Martin?’ he asked.

‘Yeah,’ Gerry said. ‘Sash invited him over to check out her telescope.’

‘Oh,’ Jon said.

‘...Did you want to go say hi?’ Gerry asked slowly.

‘What? No, of course not. I don’t want to interrupt.’ Jon dropped his cigarette stub into the snow and ground it out with his heel with what was probably an unnecessary amount of force.

‘Right…’ Gerry said sceptically. ‘So, back inside then?’

‘Hmm? Oh, yes. I suppose.’

As they climbed back down the stairs towards Gerry’s room, Jon tried to push down his sudden spike of irritation long enough to ask a question which would hopefully sound casual.

‘So… have Sasha and Martin been spending a lot of time together then?’

‘Yeah, I guess so,’ Gerry said. ‘I think they're getting pretty close.’

Jon scowled. He couldn’t have articulated exactly why that made his stomach twist so unpleasantly. It was good that Martin spent time with Sasha. She was perfectly lovely, and Jon wanted Martin to have lots of friends. He deserved that.

‘Martin’s really settled into the community. He’s pretty well-liked these days,’ Gerry said. He sat down on his bed with his back pressed against the wall, crossing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes.

Normally, Jon would have joined him, but right now he felt too agitated to relax. Instead he started pacing back and forth across the basement. 

‘Well, good for him,’ he said.

Without opening his eyes, Gerry said, ‘In my opinion, if someone wanted to make a move on Martin, they should probably do it sometime soon.’

‘I suppose so,’ Jon snapped. He really didn’t want to think about the likelihood of Sasha asking Martin out.

‘You, Jon, I’m talking about you,’ Gerry said flatly. He had opened his eyes now, and was glaring at Jon. ‘You should ask Martin out.’

The twisted feeling in Jon’s stomach coiled itself even tighter.

‘I’ll think about it,’ Jon said, and Gerry buried his face in his hands and groaned.

SPRING, Year 2

The fact that the awful, twisted feeling in his gut hadn’t gone away ever since he saw Martin and Sasha together had nothing to do with why Jon finally decided to accept Gerry's standing invitation to come to the Egg Festival with him. 

Of course it didn’t. 

But it was hardly Jon’s fault if the first thing he saw when he crossed the north bridge into Pelican Town was Martin and Sasha moving side-by-side through the crowd together, both holding large baskets at their sides.

At once, all of Jon’s determination to march directly into the town square wilted away to nothing. Instead, he slunk away towards the south of town to find Gerry, who was (predictably) smoking a cigarette in the graveyard. Less predictably, he was chatting with Tim, who was wearing a bright, egg-patterned shirt and had Danny sitting on top of his shoulders.

‘Look Tim, it’s Jon!’ Danny announced loudly, pointing towards Jon as he approached. 

‘Yeah, bud, I see him,’ Tim said. ‘Don’t pull my hair though.’

Danny released his grip on his brother’s hair to wave enthusiastically at Jon. Jon gave a half-hearted wave back as he sidled into place next to Gerry. 

Without even looking, Gerry wordlessly offered Jon his cigarettes and lighter, which Jon took gratefully. The familiar motions of placing the cigarette between his lips and lighting it helped ease some of the unbearable tension he was feeling at being outside and in a new social situation.

As Jon handed the cigarettes and lighter back, Gerry said, ‘Danny was just telling me that all of the eggs for today’s festival came from their chickens.’

‘Is that so?’ Jon said. ‘They must have been working very hard.’

‘They were,’ Danny agreed cheerfully. ‘And Tim and I got to help paint all the eggs for the Egg Hunt!’

‘That sounds like fun,’ Jon said to Danny, before addressing Tim, ‘Although I can’t imagine it left you with much time to plan how you’ll try to spike the punch this year?’

‘Alas, the Great Punch Heist is on hold this year,’ Tim said dramatically. ‘I’ve got to keep my wits about me if I’m going to help Danny win the Egg Hunt. Speaking of, what do you think, bro? Do you think we should go and get ready?’

‘Yes!’ Danny cried, bouncing up and down with excitement.

‘Catch you later guys,’ Tim said, before heading off towards the town centre with his brother.

As they left, Gerry leaned in towards Jon and spoke in a low voice.

‘You didn’t know this, so I don’t want you to freak out, I’m just giving you a heads up for next time.’

‘Okay…?’ Jon said slowly.

‘About a month ago, Tim was hospitalised with severe alcohol poisoning,’ Gerry said. ‘He’s been sober ever since.’

‘Oh no,’ Jon looked towards where Tim had disappeared into the crowd. ‘I have to go apologise–’ 

He tried to follow Tim but was immediately stopped by Gerry’s firm hand on his shoulder.

‘I wouldn’t do that in the middle of the festival,’ he said calmly.

‘Yes, you’re right, of course not,’ Jon said. ‘That would be foolish.’

‘I’m sure he didn’t take it personally,’ Gerry reassured him. ‘The punch spiking heist has been a running joke for years now.’

Jon winced. ‘In hindsight, that should probably have been a clue that Tim needed help.’

‘Hindsight’s twenty-twenty,’ Gerry agreed grimly.

‘But he’s doing better?’

Gerry shrugged. ‘As far as I’m aware. He hasn’t really spoken to me about it, this is all coming second-hand from Sasha. She’s been seeing him a lot at the clinic lately.’

As though the sound of her name was enough to summon her from the aether, Sasha suddenly rounded the corner of the Stardrop Saloon and spotted Jon and Gerry.

‘Hey Jon!’ she called out as she approached. ‘It’s nice to see you out and about! You don’t usually come to these things.’

Jon just made a non-committal sort of noise in reply, taking a long drag on his cigarette to avoid having to form actual words.

‘Here, this is for you Gerry,’ Sasha said. She reached into her basket and handed Gerry a jar of jam. ‘I’m helping Martin give these out. He made enough for everyone in town. Isn’t that sweet?’

Jon leaned over to get a closer look at the jar. It had a label on it declaring that the jam inside was made from fresh strawberries grown locally at Somewhere Else farm. 

‘It’s very sweet,’ Gerry agreed. ‘Martin’s a really great guy.’

His last comment was directed pointedly at Jon, but Jon ignored him and Sasha didn’t seem to notice.

‘So great,’ Sasha agreed. ‘He’s really changed things in the valley. Anyway, I have to go, I need to finish handing these out before the Egg Hunt starts. I’m supposed to meet Tim and Danny.’

‘Uh, Sasha?’ Jon called as she turned to leave. ‘Don’t I get some jam?’

‘Oh, Jon! Gosh, I’m sorry, you must think I’m so rude!’ Sasha laughed. ‘Martin told me about a dozen times that you were the only one who wasn’t supposed to be given strawberry jam. He said he has a special one that he made just for you. Okay, gotta run!’

She waved goodbye and headed back towards the town proper.

‘Hmm. A special jam that Martin made just for you,’ Gerry said meaningfully. ‘Isn’t that interesting?’

‘Shut up,’ Jon said, ignoring the way that his face suddenly felt incredibly warm. He was staring at the jar of jam in Gerry’s hand, seemingly unable to take his eyes off it.

‘Oh for pity’s sake, just go,’ Gerry said.

Jon finally tore his eyes away from the jam to glance nervously toward the crowd of people in the town centre. He could pick out Agnes’s shock of fiery red hair and Peter Lukas’s tall form, complete with his sea captain’s hat. There was no sign of Martin.

‘I’m not sure I should–’

‘–GO,’ Gerry insisted. He placed a hand on Jon’s back and gave him a firm shove out of the graveyard. ‘You’re going to be useless until you find him, so just go do it.’

Somewhat emboldened, Jon decided to avoid the main press of people and see if he could find Martin in the direction of the general store. Luckily, he saw him almost immediately, having an animated conversation with the Spiral siblings.

Jon knew them by sight, even if he had never really spoken to them. Helen worked at the Stardrop Saloon, and Michael was notable for his mass of curly blond hair and the camera he always seemed to have around his neck. Neither of them frequented the library. 

Unwilling to go and interrupt a conversation with two virtual strangers, Jon hung back until he heard Elias loudly announcing that the Egg Hunt was about to begin. Helen and Michael both left and Martin would have followed them, but Jon hurried forward and caught his arm.

‘Jon!’ Martin said, his face breaking into a wide smile at the sight of him. ‘I didn't expect to see you here! I've never seen you at a festival before.’

‘Ah, yes,’ Jon said nervously. ‘I am making an attempt to, ah, come out of my shell as it were.’ 

‘That's great,’ Martin said happily. ‘Actually, this is perfect. I was going to bring this to the Library myself after the festival, but seeing as you're here…’

Martin pulled the final jar of jam out of his now empty basket. Jan could see immediately that it was definitely not strawberry. For one thing, it was a bright, clear blue, and for another, it was missing the label claiming to be made from strawberries grown at Somewhere Else farm. This jar’s label was handwritten and simply read, For Jon.

Jon swallowed, overwhelmed by something he can't quite put a name to. Distantly, he was aware of the sounds of children screaming and racing around searching for eggs. 

'This is… Martin, l–’

'I know the colour looks a little crazy,' Martin said, ‘but I promise it's delicious. It's made from that seed you gave me, when I found the fossilised ancient seed?’

‘Yes, I remember. Martin, this is wonderful, but I can't possibly accept it,’ Jon said, rubbing his thumb over where Martin has labelled the jar with his name. ‘I… I don’t know… surely this must be cutting into your profits for the farm?’

There was a great cheer behind him. In the town square, Jon looked over to see Danny happily shove a large straw hat onto his head before Tim and Sasha each took hold of one of his hands and swung him up into the air.

‘Oh, don't worry about that,’ Martin said cheerfully. He seemed oblivious to the commotion behind him, entirely focused on Jon as if the two of them existed in their own private world. ‘The farm is doing great. I have whole fields of strawberries growing now. You should come by sometime, if you ever take a day off from the Library.’

‘I… I’d like to,’ Jon said thoughtfully. Then he nodded, convincing himself as he said the words aloud. ‘Yes, Martin, I will.’

*

The very next day, Jon closed the library at noon and went to visit Somewhere Else farm. As he walked down the path past the bus stop west of town, he thought that it really was ridiculous that Martin had lived here for over a year now and Jon had never once visited.

When he arrived, he went straight to the homestead and knocked on the door. Unfortunately, there was no answer. Jon looked out over the expansive fields of strawberries, tea bushes and sky blue ancient berries, hoping for a glimpse of Martin somewhere amongst the crops, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Jon spotted a small grey cat basking in a bright patch of sunlight only a few feet away from him.

Martin had never mentioned owning a cat!

Jon walked over and crouched down next to the cat, saying hello and seeing if it would be willing to make friends. He was wearing what looked to be a homemade leather collar with The Earl Grey printed neatly on it. The Earl Grey was apparently very amenable to becoming best friends with Jon, so he spent several joyful minutes petting his soft grey fur and scratching his ears. Eventually the cat seemed to grow restless from all of the attention, rolling onto his feet and hurrying away from Jon to stalk a nearby butterfly. 

Jon stood up and looked around. There was still no sign of Martin anywhere, so he decided to explore for a while.

Just beyond the fields of crops there was the coop and barn that Jon had heard so much about, surrounded by a large field of tall green grass. As Jon approached the fence he could see some very good cows, but also goats, ducks, a small flock of brown and white chickens, and… a long blue feather poking up out of the grass?

Jon frowned, stretching up to balance on his toes and lean over the fence, trying to see the mysterious animal better.

‘Is that a blue chicken?’ he said.

‘She was a gift from Tim,’ Martin called from behind him.

Jon startled so badly that he almost toppled forward over the fence, but luckily he managed to catch himself just in time. 

Martin was walking towards him from a path that led away from the south of his farm. In one hand he held a fishing pole slung over his shoulder, and in the other he was holding a line strung with several large brown fish.

‘Hello Martin,’ Jon said. ‘My apologies for, ah, trespassing.’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Martin said warmly as he joined Jon beside the fence. ‘You’re always welcome here. Standing invitation, just like at the Library.’

‘Thank you,’ Jon said. ‘I would like to come by more often.’

‘Please do,’ Martin said. He leaned his fishing pole against the fence so that he had one hand free. ‘Here, let me introduce you to the ladies.’

He started pointing to all the different animals in the field, giving Jon their names. The poultry (Rooibos, Assam, Sencha, Lapsang, Keemun, Ceylon and the blue chicken Peppermint) all kept their distance, but the cows and goats obviously knew Martin well enough to be comfortable coming up to the fence for pets and attention. Jon was introduced to Masala, Matcha, Chamomile, Darjeeling, Hibiscus and English Breakfast. Darjeeling was his favourite by far. She was a large brown cow with a very soft nose and a big white star on her forehead, and she nuzzled into Jon’s hand with a gentleness that seemed entirely at odds with her size.

Eventually, Martin said that he would have to bring the fish inside and refrigerate them, so they said goodbye to the animals and headed back towards the homestead.

‘I didn’t know chickens came in blue,’ Jon said as they walked. 

‘They usually don't,’ Martin said. ‘This is a special breed that Tim and Danny have been working on together. They’re hoping that if they can start selling them outside of the valley, Tim will be able to quit JojaMart.’

‘A worthy goal indeed,’ Jon said.

Martin grinned as he held his front door open for Jon. ‘I’d certainly recommend it.’

‘I suppose I’ve just… never seen anything like Peppermint before,’ Jon said, as he took a seat at Martin’s kitchen table.

Martin finished piling the fish into the fridge before joining Jon. ‘I honestly couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve thought that since I arrived here,’ Martin said. ‘This valley is a really magical place.’

For once, Jon didn’t feel like arguing that point. Instead, he found that he rather hoped it was true.

Not that he would be willing to say that out loud, of course. It would just be another thing that Gerry would never let him hear the end of.

‘I have something for you,’ he said instead.

‘You do?’

‘Yes, I– I thought you might like it,’ Jon said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the large rusty key he had brought with him when he left the Library earlier. Martin took it from him and examined it, turning it over in his hands with an unreadable expression on his face.

‘It’s been in the library for over a hundred years,’ Jon said quickly, unable to bear the silence. ‘It was one of the only things that Gertrude left behind. I’m afraid I don’t know what it unlocks, but, umm… maybe you can find a use for it?’

Martin looked up and met Jon’s eyes. Jon’s breath caught.

‘Thank you Jon,’ he said. ‘This is great.’

He set the key down on the table between them and Jon realised that he was completely at a loss for what to say next. He hadn’t thought further ahead than this when he had decided to give Martin the key.

‘I was wondering,’ Martin said slowly, ‘if you were planning on going to the Flower Dance this year? Seeing as you were at the Egg Festival, I mean.’

‘Oh, ahh… I hadn’t planned on it actually,’ Jon said hesitantly. ‘Elias has made it very clear that it is traditional for all of the bachelors and bachelorettes who attend to participate in the dance. I would find that terribly awkward without a partner.’

There was a beat of incredibly heavy silence between them until finally, with a feeling not unlike Gerry’s hand on his back shoving him out of the graveyard, Jon opened his mouth and said, ‘Unless you would find yourself amenable to being–’

At the exact same time, Martin had also started talking. ‘Hypothetically speaking, what if I were your–’

They cut themselves off at the same time and blinked at each other for a moment, before bursting into laughter. 

By the time they had both calmed down, Martin was smiling at Jon like he was the most magical thing in the valley. He reached across the table between them and took both of Jon’s hands in his own. Jon felt his heart start beating faster in his chest in response to the warm contact of Martin’s skin. 

‘Jon,’ Martin said seriously, ‘would you like to accompany me to the Flower Dance?’

‘I would be delighted,’ Jon said without a moment of hesitation.

For the first time in his life, he didn’t have to think about it. Martin’s smile was enough to make him sure.