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It’s so much different than city life, Bjorn thought to himself as he walked home from the saloon that night. He had a great first day in the valley.
The air in the city felt thick to breathe; dirty, loud, smelly. The air in the valley and in Pelican Town was so clean and crisp, and it didn’t feel suffocating to walk through the town. It was pretty peaceful, really.
Living in a small town like Pelican Town was definitely going to suit Bjorn much more than a place like Zuzu, he could already tell. It wasn’t just the atmosphere that was much better, too.
The people in Pelican town are much better than a lot of the people from Zuzu. They are, for the most part, much more peaceful and happy overall, and very kind to him. They all welcomed him with open arms and a lot of them were even excited to meet him. The population is tiny but also pretty diverse, and there are a lot of interesting and cool people around his age, too.
Just from observing the saloon’s crowd that night, Bjorn could make some pretty solid assumptions: Sam, Abigail, and Sebastian are the younger friend group, Lewis and Marnie have some sort of bond, Shane and Clint are loners, and Leah and Elliott are close. There was still a lot Bjorn didn’t know, but his curiosity was only growing, and it was really exciting.
Soon, he reached his new farm home and walked up onto the creaky wooden porch, putting the key in his door and walking into his new home with a dreamy sigh. I can’t believe this is all for me now, he thought.
While he got ready for bed, Bjorn thought about who in town he should befriend first. Logically, Lewis, Robin, Marnie, and Pierre are the best options. They're important figures, business owners, and he would be working with each of them a lot now. He remembered Clint, too, but he seemed pretty shy.
Or maybe he should go for the other younger members and get to know the community more. If he got to know people like Sebastian and Sam, he would quickly get to know their families and thus the whole town in practically no time at all.
Befriending Maru or Sebastian will get me closer to Robin, and they both seem pretty cool…
Sam and his mom, Jodi, are both popular among the community, and Sam seems like a nice guy…
Bjorn went on and on in his head, thinking about all the connections and relationships in the town, who knew each other, who reached out to whom.
Then he thought about Elliott.
Elliott confused him. He had nothing against the guy, of course, but some things about him seemed contradictory to him. He had the personality and style of a friendly and outgoing person, but he barely talked to anyone at the saloon. He proudly introduced himself to Bjorn, shaking his hand and smiling and even laughing a bit, but he thought of himself as awkward. Why does he think so lowly of himself?
Elliott also seems really lonely, but why? He seemed really nice and funny, and he was respectful. He seems like a great guy to talk to. Sure he lives by himself, but so does Leah and Bjorn does, too. Maybe he just chose to be a loner.
I guess everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, Bjorn thought.
Bjorn yawned as he put his pajamas on. He brushed his teeth and got ready to climb into bed. His new bed is much more comfortable than the one he owned when he lived and worked in Zuzu. Everything in Pelican Town made Bjorn realize how sad his life in Zuzu City really was. The unhealthy food he ate, the uncomfortable apartment, and the lousy and stressful job.
Bjorn let his eyes slowly shut as he fell asleep to the sounds of owls and buzzing insects outside on the farm, feeling the cool night breeze through his bedroom window.
Huh…did someone drop their stuff?
Near Marnie’s place, close to the water, a black fountain pen was sitting in the long grass. Bjorn picked it up and inspected it momentarily before walking around and trying to find its owner. Sure enough, he saw a man moving the tall grass a few yards away.
“Hey, did you drop a black pen out here?!” Bjorn shouted. The man’s head popped up and Elliott’s eyes met his. He laughed and scratched his head, starting to approach the farmer.
“Oh, yes! Thank you very much, Bjorn.”
“You're welcome,” he replied. “So, what are you doing out here?”
“Oh! I’m trying to write a poem about nature right now, so I thought there’d be no better way than to write it in the forest.” Elliott smiled brightly. “Now that my pen has been found, I can resume my writing.”
Bjorn smiled. “I’ve got to go into town, so I'll see you some other time, Elliott. Bye!”
They waved to each other as they parted, and Bjorn laughed quietly to himself.
Life is so much better here.