Tag: friends

Merry Christmas

Hugh! Wait, please wait,” but her gasps go unnoticed by the stocky man striding ahead of her, already pushing his way through swinging doors into the shopping centre. For one second she hesitates, should she just…give up? That doesn’t work though, and she blinks as more snowflakes land in her eyes, so clutching her throat as if to prevent her heart from making its way out through there she staggers on, trying to pick up speed again.

She looks down at the tiled floor, knowing that the slightest unevenness will be the end of her mad dash. “Why on earth did I think it would be a good idea to wear high heels to this, and in this weather too?” she moans, not for the first time this afternoon. “This must be the fastest I have ever run in high heels though,” she keeps up the conversation in her head, hoping that the rhythm of her words will somehow make her legs join in. She tries to ignore the tightness of her shoes, hoping that they will soon reach their destination. Hugh is only just visible, making her feel annoyed, and clutching her salmon coloured bag she considers just pretending that she had to stop. “Maybe I could trip, or I might not need to pretend, soon I will have to stop or collapse,” she grumbles, not even able to mutter the words anymore.

Her throat burns from the erratic gasps, as she struggles more and more to draw in enough oxygen to supply her through this mad run. “I…I just can’t anymore,” her lips form the words, and she leans on the large pillar in the shopping centre, unable to move, her heart beating a loud thumping tune in her head, forcing her to close her eyes. She leans over, gulping in air, her lungs protesting against the rough treatment, making her cough. Her legs are shaking, unaccustomed to her semi high heels, and it’s a definite first for running in these shoes, and judging by her sore feet, probably the last time as well! Self pity is making her breath sound more wobbly, and just when it is growing and flooding her mind, Hugh is there. A very unhappy Hugh.

“Where were you? One minute you’re right behind me, next time I look round you’ve disappeared, and then I find you skulking behind this pillar!” His voice sounds accusing, and his eyes look at her with disdain. She would like to roll her eyes at the unfairness of it all, for Hugh isn’t even out of breath in the slightest! “We need to go, or we’ll be late, and then what?” He asks, but she knows he doesn’t expect an answer, so she merely nods, and manages to stand up straight again. This time she clings on to his arm, determined not to be running after him again, and hopefully he can take some of her weight, and relieve her feet a little!

Together they push through the mass of humanity that seems to have descended on this particular shopping centre. “You’d think they were giving stuff away for free to attract so many people,” Hugh sounds gruff, and she just smiles a bland smile, knowing it’s best not to react. She’s actually grateful for the throng of shoppers meandering down the wide path, for it means that Hugh will have to slow down, allowing her to feel more steady on her heels. Finally they’re in the cosy restaurant, and she feels herself relaxing a little,  for even though a whole meal with Anika doesn’t particularly thrill her, the best thing is that she can kick her shoes off for the evening. The meal itself is lovely, the steak just right, and she smiles and nods at Anika’s endless stories about her little dog, wondering all the time how she is going to make it back to the car… Guilt fills her when it’s Anika who suggests that the men get the car, and for a moment she wished she had paid attention to the dog stories, you know, as a ‘thank you’ gesture. Her “Merry Christmas to you both,” just before lowering herself into the car is therefore more genuine than it has ever been, and freeing her ultra thin tights from the blood encrusted blisters, she whispers through gritted teeth, “and a Happy New Year!”

Jolly Nice Murder

He opens the burger box, his mouth watering. The fat burger with a strip of bacon on the top, smothered in melted cheese makes his stomach growl. He sighs with a long, satisfied sound, just what he needs. A good, hearty burger, red on the inside. None of the fast food chain type burgers, limp flimsy bits of so called beef. No, a Jolly nice burger is what he has been looking forward to. He takes a hungry bite, chomping away, his hands still cold. The large yurt is warm and comfortable and very quiet, but outside the wind is bitter. He thinks about tomorrow, a frown on his face, looking at his problem from various angles. His poem, that is the problem. His St Nicholas’Poem for Brendon. He tuts, taking another bite, relishing the juicy beef with onions. Yes, it was a good idea going here for lunch. Now, Brendon’s poem, or rather, the lack of one. Truth is, he has been putting it off, remembering Brendon’s fury last year. All contained under a pleasant smile of course, but he knew better. Brendon had smelt like murder last year, and if he finds out that he, Johan, has got Brendon’s name again…well, no St Nicholas chocolate will be able to smooth out the evening, he reckons.

Bits of last year’s poem come back to him, and he chuckles in spite of himself. Of course, laughing at your own jokes is pretty poor taste, but then, it had been rather funny to watch Brendon having to read out his poem. He had really enjoyed himself until the poem was over, and Brendon had looked his way, knowing full well that Johan must have been the Saint and Helpers signed off at the end of the poem. Johan had continued laughing with the rest, and so had Brendon, but he remembers the twitching in his eye. He had pretended to sneeze and blow his nose, worried that Brendon might notice the tick, and guess his fear. Brendon had brushed the joke off like flakes from his jacket, but no before Johan had noticed his looks. Now he has got him again,and he will need to produce another poem, but somehow Johan hasn’t got the courage to mention Brendon’s business policies again. Last year he had laughed at the risk it involved, sure that Brendon’s policies were public knowledge anyway, but as Brendon read out the poem Johan realised that he had made the mistake of his life. Literally.

Johan bites and chews through the burger, napkins at the ready, as the burger leaks and bits of coleslaw drop out. Somehow the joy he felt over the first bite or two has started to fade. He will need to come up with a poem soon; one that is funnier than last year’s, but safer. Johan has no desire to be on the receiving end of Brendon’s ire again! Even though nothing ever came of it. Brendon made the odd comment that seemed to hint back to their festive evening, but Johan had expected something a lot more dangerous. Brendon was ruthless, he thinks, I will never forget that poor coffee lady… Brendon had gotten away with it of course, apparently the woman had a heart condition,but Johan is pretty sure Brendon had something to do with her fall. He hadn’t really thought about the consequences of his poem, only when Brendon’s eyes hooked onto him did he think. It was too late then of course, but maybe Brendon saw the funny side of the poem after all? He feels quite pleased for a moment,wondering if maybe Brendon had met his match! He never had expected it to be him, though. Johan pops the last bite of his burger in his mouth, grinning.Yes, Jolly Nice Burger seems a most appropriate name for it! Just when he puts the thin paper napkin down in the box his phone vibrates. He turns his phone on,his tongue dealing with rogue burger crumbs.

“I hope you enjoyed that, as it will be your last. I’ll save you the difficulty of getting me a present and a poem. Have a Jolly Nice St Nick.” Brendon. Brendon sent him a text, but what does he mean? Johan stares at the screen until it fades out. When he turns his phone on again the message has disappeared, it was obviously there to be read just once. What does he mean,last one? And their St Nicholas celebration at work is not for another day. He sits very still, his mind skipping past all the options, and he is only vaguely aware of the tingling in his mouth, the heavy feeling in his stomach. Not for long though, and Johan feels a growing sense of panic as he stumbled to the little toilet block. He makes it with seconds to spare, and is violently sick.When he tries to get up, he finds himself unable to breath, and he frantically gropes for the lock, hoping that the outdoor air will help him to catch some needed oxygen. The last thing he sees is Brendon, grinning, eyes still burning with fury, “Have a Jolly Nice St Nick,” his voice fading away fast.

New Stories

Stories

Do stories differ depending on where they’re set? Staying in the Netherlands has been wonderful as well as busy. We have walked, gone swimming, visited friends and family, as well as just relax. I loved being around people, and it made me think about interactions. I love Dutch humour, I must admit… the way they operate is so different, and it came out in the running group I went with. The banter and chatter was really refreshing, something I have missed, I realised. The run refreshed me, even though I was the one at the back, gasping for breath, with a very red face… it was the way people chat to each other, thoroughly disagree with each other, complain about stuff they don’t like, but still laugh together and have a great time. I loved how they don’t do the male/female divide, the never-the-twain-shall-meet sort of thing. The idea of running with a mixed group would make me think twice in England, whereas in the Netherlands it’s great fun, and adds a dimension to the whole thing. I liked the winding up that goes on, and how people make you feel welcome and include you in their jokes. I missed the male humour, the way guys joke when there’s women around, and how just doing things together works well in the Netherlands, without it feeling weird. I really, really missed that, and I’m grateful for the few chances I had to go running. Everything seemed so relaxed and calm, and their lives are busy and filled, but still organised.

Running around the forest, walking around the highest waterfall and seeing places has given me some great story ideas as well…a Body near the waterfall, after all, it’s not that busy, and anything can happen. It’s the reason I don’t really like walking through a quiet wood, wondering if there’ll be a hand poking out from the leaves… Another story could be a stalker in the woods…Jogging along at the back, I just thought about it. I run very quietly, and every now and again, it sounded like there was someone behind me, but there never was… What if I wasn’t running with a group, but alone, and the steps behind me weren’t imagined, but real? That set me off wondering if a slight, but fit and fast girl can outrun or defend herself against a large man intend on harming her… Looking at the woods, the dark trunks, many trees chopped down, the ground turned over rather effectively by wild boar, I could just imagine staying there. The woods are large, with plenty of shelter, so what if there was someone hiding in the woods… We were watching the skating rink, a long line of men zooming round on their speed skates. Speed skates make formidable weapons, their irons sharp and sticking out a good way at the front as well as the back…

Not even sure where to start, or which story to tell first. The best part with Living Vicariously is that you can include whatever you want, like your favourite food! Just two days and NaNoWriMo is over, and as soon as the first draft is done I will start on some stories set in the Netherlands… I can’t wait, and as we’re driving home with the rain pelting our windscreen I’m glad that at least my mind can stay behind a bit longer, wandering through the golden brown forests, listening to the splattering sound of the neatest waterfall ever…

Past

Life moves on. Or life moves away from you, I find. I was wondering this morning whether living in the past is a form of Vicarious Living. You know, forgetting how much life has changed, you have changed; pretending things have stayed the same!

I went running this morning, with Trim Apeldoorn. The last time I ran with them was when I was 20 or 21, so a while back… It brought back lots of memories, although there were changes as well. I always ran in the evening, now it was (early!) morning. Even the starting point has changed a little. The bucket used to be yellow, hanging off a tree. It’s amazing how these tiny details matter, and how they show up change.

It was -4 when I set off in the car, and I had to scrape the windscreen (I had to use a stirring thing from the kitchen, as there was no ice scraper in our car…mmmmm), and I wondered if I would make it in time. Having managed to get up in time,  kitted out, and myself brave enough to actually go, I was thinking how annoyed I was going to be if I missed it… I made it in time, just! I went with the slowest group, the group I always went with as I prefer the interval type training they do, but when I was younger I would be running near the front. Now I was right at the back, wondering what happened to my lungs… With age they must have shrunk dramatically, that’s all I can say!

The forest was incredibly beautiful though, and I was quite tempted to stop and take pictures, but as I was slow enough already, I didn’t want to push it… Anyway, I managed to survive the hour, I think I gave my lungs the shock of their life, I’ve been coughing ever since getting back into my car…

It’s funny how change comes so unexpected. Of course, I knew I was really unfit, but to run with a group that you used to run with, through familiar woods, but to find yourself at the back, gasping like a drowning hippo… It’s a change that creeps up, for life is busy, and you forget that time passes. You live vicariously as your younger self, and you see yourself as you used to be. You see others as they used to be.

This week brought grief as well. My aunt died. She had been very ill for a while, and recently her kidneys just gave in. I remember the aunt from the huge house though. The aunt who had a hallway with dark red carpet that could swallow my parent’s house, but you weren’t allowed to run around like a looney, (Too many antiques and ornaments…!) which felt such a waste of the really, really thick carpet and endless space. I remember playing in the park with my cousin, getting muddy in our best clothes… and now the only mud we have to clean off is our kids’ muddy hands and faces… Somehow I got time warped there as well. My aunt has moved houses several times since then, my cousin has her own family. And now my aunt is gone, and reality comes knocking.

I just realised that I like Living Vicariously. I’m only 50 kilo, instead of 11 stone (Ha! Such a nice, natural sounding way to measure yourself… At least you could pretend that it’s any stone you fancy, rather than the set weight…which makes me stare at my scales in horror!) I like people to stay the way they always were, I definitely would like my fitness to stay the way it always was. Even carparks, buckets, and roads should stay the way they were. I really dislike change, I realised.

Of course, it shows in the falling leaves and the golden brown beech leaf carpet in the forest that nothing lives forever, only God. It shows that we are finite, mortal, limited. It shows we are created with eternity in our heart. Just like some leaves we still cling on though, pretending it’s not the end of autumn, and it’s not time to let go and join the other leaves, there is no such thing as change…Reality can be the fact that it’s -4, and not many leaves will cling on for much longer! Vicarious Living just gives you a chance to remember good times, good things. Bringing a smile to reality, even if it hurts. Like the incredible sunbeams lighting up the floating leaves.

Reedsy 1

New leaf: “You’d always wanted to fall in with this crowd. Now that you had, you weren’t sure about them anymore”. This was the fourth choice of the topics set by Reedsy. I wrote the following story, entering the competition. I didn’t win, but really enjoyed the writing!

 

Tempest

Thunder flashes, rain absolutely buckets down. She stares out of the window, “The kind of weather just right for a police drama. Bring in the murder scene, or whatever else they have lined up.” She sighs, letting the heavy brocade curtain drop. “Come on, Alex, where are you? You said you would be here in time…for a change,” she adds with a bitter sneer. She gasps, only now spotting the quiet butler standing near the cabinet, topping up the drinks, arranging the glasses. “He creeps me out too,” she mutter on, feeling her breathing speeding up whilst getting more and more shallow. What has happened to Alex? Her eyes scour the driveway, just wishing the car to come along, flinching every time lightening flashes. She tries to ignore Thoms, and after a while, when the room has gone quiet, she glances over her shoulder. She swallows, feeling her heart miss a beat or two, then start up twice as fast, as if to make up for lost beats. Thoms the butler is still there, straightening things out, looking at her, seemingly observing her.

“Is Sir Alex delayed, M’lady?” Thoms asks calmly, his cool sea green eyes steady as always, unnerving her. She shrugs, and assures him that she is expecting Sir Alex any minute now. Which is true, as any other alternative would be too ghastly to consider. Thoms lowers his head sideways respectfully, apart from she doesn’t get any respectful vibes from him. Alex laughs at her complaints about Thoms. Alex usually laughs at her complaints, she thinks, pouting like a child.

“It’s the way he looks at me, I’m convinced he’s laughing at me, looking down at me,” she had whined when Alex had rolled his eyes at her paranoia. Again. “I don’t know why you chose him anyway; I liked that Italian guy, he could have helped the chef as well, you know, give him some pointers,” she had said, pulling her mouth down at the corners, as far down as possible. “The chef is very willing, but useless when it comes to producing edible meals. An Italian butler could have meant decent lasagna or pizza at least a few times a week.” Alex hadn’t rolled his eyes at this, but frowned at her.

“You wanted the whole shebang,” he had said, his voice curt and his words clipped, not a good sign. “You insisted on a butler and that’s what we have. If I have a butler I want one that seems trustworthy, competent and quiet. That’s what we’ve got. Maybe if you hadn’t insisted on him addressing you with M’lady all day long he wouldn’t be looking down on you as much. On the other hand, you do give him plenty of opportunities for contempt,” he had just filled his glass, and considered the conversation over. She knew when she was beaten, so didn’t say anything, didn’t even sniff delicately. Guilt trip tactics didn’t work with Alex.

After going to the huge bathroom, just to look in the mirror, pat her hair down a little here and there, check her make up, she wanders down to the large sitting room again. When she spots Thoms in the distance, further down the luxurious hallway, she makes her steps more purposeful. Nothing has changed outside though. The rain is still horrific, the thunder still rumbles and growls in the distance, the odd blue flash of lightening lights up the extensive grounds. She hugs her slight frame, notices that she has started to rock to and fro, and stops herself. Just in time too, as Thoms walks past the door, his cold eyes sweeping round the room, narrowing a fraction when he spots her near the bay window again…

“I just hate autumn,” she whispers, “absolutely detest it. Somehow I wished I had never gotten myself involved. Why did I let Alex and his friends talk me into it?” She blushes a little, knowing that she had been a very willing victim of their schemes. Her fingers fiddle with the curtain, enjoying the lush material, it’s coolness soothing her. Yes, some weeks it seems worth it. Other days, like these sort of days, she regrets it thoroughly. “It’s the weather, the wind, the falling leaves…and now that awful butler as well, it gives me the creeps. Come on Alex, it’s so late!” She can feel the fear seeping in, its cold tentacles slithering all over her, whispering words of discouragement and abandonment. “What if something has happened,” she breathes, “what if a tree fell down or something? Cars get struck by lightening, don’t they?”

In the end she can’t cope any longer, and hurriedly leaves the room, and almost rushes up the huge staircase, her feet silent on the thick, rich carpet. She slips into her large bedroom, locking the door quickly behind her. Almost in a panic she checks her dressing room and en suite bathroom. When she gets back to the bedroom she stops herself from looking under the bed. “Not even Thoms would lower himself to hide under my bed,” she says, then laughs, a very nervous sounding giggle. She walks over to the little tray with her drinks bottle made of real crystal, and fills a glass. Just before she takes a sip she stares at the dark red liquid. “What if it’s spiked?” she wonders, glaring at the bottle. She hesitates, then spotting the alarm clock on her bedside table she gulps down her drink in one quick draught. She struggles to return the glass to the tray, her hands shaking uncontrollably. Even Alex is never this late! She walks up and down her bedroom, her hands cold and shaking. “What will I do if he doesn’t come soon? Where can he be? If he has just left me…” She drops onto the bed with a rather pathetic sob, and lies there, staring at the beautifully decorated ceiling.

“Could it be to do with my old mobile? I know what Alex explained, but that was ages ago. Anyway, it was just a game I played on there, and if he hadn’t been away from the house so much I wouldn’t have been bored enough to go rummaging through those old bags in the storeroom.” She smiles a little, thinking of her old phone. “It must have been my first phone ever, I can’t believe it had those pictures still on there…” She smiles dreamily, tears nowhere to be seen now. “Alex got me the phone, I can still see him, all excitement, helping me to set it up and all! It’s been fun, really,” she grins, then an extra loud thunder clap makes her sit up, and hit reality. She peers out of her window, overlooking the extensive grounds at the back, but drops the curtain as if it’s on fire. “I saw something move! I’m sure I did! Oh no, it is like those police dramas… Mind you, they get hysterical people for most roles, and I won’t be one of them, not if I can help it,” she adds, not feeling too sure about her suitability for a firm, calm, decisive actress. “It must have been the storm, probably some large branch or something. I’m sick of the whole thing though, I just want out!”

She looks around her large room, beautifully decorated, and pulls a face. It is done exactly the way she wanted; Alex and his friends always made sure of that. Somehow it doesn’t feel enough anymore. Maybe it’s the sizzling air, the bright flashes and torrential rain, but she just feels…empty. Empty and bored and in a unexpected flash of honesty she whispers, “Actually, I wished I had never gone along! It was a crazy thing to do, it wasn’t right, it never will be. Alex just made me feel…” She stops, yes, how did he make her feel? He made her feel welcome, he gave her a sense of belonging, so she stuck with them. She thinks of her suitcase, ready packed in her wardrobe. He told her not to ever check on it, not to go near the wardrobe at all. The urge to feel secure is too strong though, and after double checking that her door is still locked, she lightly runs to the wardrobe, unlocks the double doors, and peeks in. Yes, her case is there, safe and sound. She locks the door meticulously, even giving the key a wipe clean. Feeling her breath coming more calmly now she tops up her glass, downs it only a fraction slower than the first one, and decides that she’d better go down again. Just in case Alex turns up. He doesn’t like her being upstairs for too long, always worried that she’ll go near the storeroom or do something foolish. Like use her old phone, she grimaces. “He’ll go nuts if he finds out. If he does, well, this storm will be nothing compared to the thunder and lightening in the house,” she giggles, feeling a tiny slither of apprehension making its way into her heart.

When she gets to the large bay windows, she spots the car lights straight away. She stands there, her hands clasping and unclasping, relief fighting with fury, and the outcome is by no means certain. She wants to rush up to the front door, but what man wants a clingy, weeping woman to be the first thing to behold when coming home? He must have had a terrible time, driving in this storm, she argues with herself, already formulating excuses for Alex. So, rather than standing in the bay window, she sits down on the sofa, carelessly flicking through one of their expensive magazines. Then Alex marches in, his face drawn, his eyes looking rather wild. Thoms the butler has followed him in, and she looks at Alex, wondering what has gone wrong. He crosses the room in two gigantic steps, and when he stands in front of her, she sees his shaking hands and sweaty face. He breathes in heavily, clearly struggling, and the thought flashes through her mind that he is fighting down sobs! She starts to reach out to him, feeling her own hands starting to tremble, when he hisses, “That phone! You…don’t you ever listen? Didn’t I tell you to never touch that room or anything in it? You’re the worst sister ever and…” He stops, for two large men appear in the door opening, making her look up. Her mouth drops, and she stares in total shock as they stand on either side of Alex, who just glares at her, breathing through his nose like an angry bull. The men take hold of Alex’s arms, looking grim and menacing, as well as oddly satisfied. She opens her mouth to cry out, but shuts it again when she feels cold metal clicking shut round one of her wrists!

She gasps, and looks round in horror, straight into Thoms’ face, his hard eyes gleaming with morbid pleasure, and his calm voice says, “You’re nicked, M’lady!”

 

Choices

Choices

The wedding went through, of course. “I’m so happy,” a grinning Ralph gushes, staring at Anselma with shining eyes. “This is definitely the happiest day of my life, and I feel so richly blessed! To think that I married the most beautiful woman in SiMobile!” Anselma nods, her eyes shining too, but hers are wet with unshed tears. Not the happy variety either, as this day definitely doesn’t fit her idea of the happiest day ever! In fact, the day would probably come in the category of Worst Days Ever. She hasn’t the heart to say that, of course, so she manages to pull her face in a smile. Ralph just sighs with sheer happiness, and after giving her another squeeze, walks over to some of the guests to thank them for coming.

“I just can’t believe it,” Anselma mumbles, feeling that the struggle against her tears might be lost any moment. “What will my friends say? How am I going to photoshop all my wedding photographs for those fans following my vlogs?” She looks around, smoothing her sweaty hands over her dress. “At least I can do some reports on the standard SiMobile wedding dress, that will help others too. Then at least everyone has an idea what to buy if they want different personal pictures, rather than the standard issue dress.” She relaxes a little, her mind busy with the few options for blogs and vlogs this might bring. “I could use the webcam, although it does break rather easily,” she mumbles, checking the dress in various lights and angles. This cheers her up, and she even manages to accept people’s congratulations without breaking down. Some of her friends seem rather puzzled over her choice of husband, which confirms to Anselma that she’s really trapped. She knows it’s actually not a big deal, but still, for a beauty queen like her surely she should feel it’s important to have a very handsome spouse?

Life soon settles down, and Ralph blossoms. He spends a lot of time cooking, with a grace and flair that surprises Anselma. Her vlogs are attracting more and more followers, in spite of the odd snide comment about some of her pictures… Soon she realises that Ralph hasn’t damaged her career, and she relaxes a little. Until Ralph suggests that they fill the bassinet… He spotted it in the main bedroom, and that evening he suggests it’s their turn. “You know Keziah and Nicholas have just met, and their courtship is going very well. Soon they will be married, and as Nicholas has to move in, coming from another well known family, they might want to start a family sooner rather than later…” He looks at Anselma, his huge mouth grinning, so she quickly looks at his beautiful eyes, suppressing a shudder. She takes a deep breath, clutching her sides, wrapping her arm round herself. Filling the bassinet? What if they find themselves with a houseful of little Ralphs? “We might have a little girl,” he continues, oblivious to her distress, “one as beautiful as her mother,” he laughs, looking pleased and excited. So the bassinet is filled, and a little boy is born, Roald. Anselma leans over the bassinet a lot that day.

“He’s beautiful,” she whispers, gratitude flooding her, cracking her voice. “Let’s hope he stays that way too, but at least he hasn’t got an odd shaped face…or gigantic ears, or…” she stops, feeling bad even whispering these things. She glances over her shoulder, but the room is empty, fortunately. “I’m glad it’s a son, though, and it does warm my heart to see Ralph so ecstatic! Having a new baby gives me a new fashion thread as well,” she smiles at Roald, tugs his bedclothes straight, and hurries back to her computer. Nicholas and Keziah will be here soon, ready for their reception. She can feel the little jealousy dragon flicker its tongue in her heart, seeing those two together… Nicholas is so handsome, probably helped by his Italian background, with a wonderful name, Ferraro…Such an improvement on Snowdon, she sighs. She just hopes that the little baby in the bassinet will do her proud, so that at last she has more options for family pictures!

Nicholas moves in, and as soon as Roald is a toddler, Keziah and Nicholas retreat to the large bedroom, and soon their baby Alonzo is sleeping peacefully in the bassinet. Roald is a sweet looking toddler, and Anselma feels herself relaxing, watching her little boy with anxious eyes. She is relieved though when he doesn’t show much in common with Ralph, even though his father is very fond of the boy. He spends a lot of time with Roald. “He is such a handsome little boy,” he says to Anselma, pride filling his rich voice. “Have you seen the way he walks, so certain of himself! He’s an absolute delight,” and his eyes drift towards the door to the large bedroom. “I wonder when Alonzo will be walking,” he says, an odd smile twisting his fleshy lips, making his ugly face even more out of shape than usual. Anselma swallows the panicky feeling she can feel deep down, as she still remembers her anxiety during the baby stage… They have a sweet, handsome son, should they really risk having another child?

Of course, Ralph prevails, and soon Ramon is born. Anselma cringes a tiny bit when saying her sons’ names, as they sound too modern and not stylish enough by half. “I mean, names are important, I did like Ralph, but that was before…” she explains to a friend over coffee at the café. “You see, I feel names say a lot about a person, their background, that sort of thing. Like Alonzo, Nicholas has an Italian background, so they chose a name to reflect that. They’re hoping for a girl, really, but Alonzo is really sweet.” She looks out of the large window, watching people walking round the park. She sighs, knowing that feeling jealous is definitely unhealthy. Every fashionista knows that your thoughts will have an effect on your face, and bitter, harmful thoughts definitely leave a bitter, ugly trace on your face… Subconsciously she rubs a hand over her face, as if double checking that her face hasn’t been ravaged by her envy. Alonzo is a name she likes a lot, he is very cute, and Keziah and Nicholas make a lovely couple. Her vlog, on the other hand, will never display her husband, and her sons are quite cute and handsome, for now at least, but somehow saying Roald and Ramon makes her vlog sound cheap and common. She sighs, feeling down and lonely. Her friend giggles, breaking through her morose thoughts.

“You look tired, why not go to the party tonight? You know it’s held at the Knight’s house? Their parties are amazing, if only for their four pools! Four! Imagine that, and the rest of the house is beautiful as well. You do realises that they’re a bit hush hush most of the time, although they cover it well? Just don’t ask too many awkward questions, and definitely keep them out of your vlogs, blogs and whatnots!” They both laugh, Anselma feeling a tiny thrill. The Knights! Some of her ancestors were Knights, and the whole mysterious aura around them is delicious in itself! Maybe she will manage to unearth something? She could always blog about it with made up characters? “Just don’t be too late, you know how SiMobile government disrupts most parties nowadays? The worst one is when they won’t allow you to let people know about your party, that’s just awful! The invites just never arrive, all party activities are hidden, and it’s impossible to attend most of the time! Some people have actually moved because of it, setting up in another town altogether!” Anselma had heard about party issues, and how most parties only seemed to last a short time. Somehow she hadn’t really thought about it, as she was relieved when their parties ended! Last time, just before the party was stopped, somebody had pointed at Ralph, and asked her in a whisper where on earth that guy came from… She had blushed, coughed, and escaped…

A party at a beautiful, stylish home is just the remedy, Anselma decides soon after arriving at the Knight’s abode. She smiles at people, a real, genuine smile this time, feeling free without anything to hide. She’s just a beautiful woman, mother of two sweet boys, with a caring husband, who isn’t here to show her up… She tries out the hot tub, giggling, “I haven’t been in one of those before, it’s so relaxing! Maybe I should do it more often, and then do a vlog about it, as it must be good for you,” she sighs with contentment, leaning back in the warm water. Some friend introduces her to Alex Knight, a tall, smiling, polite man. She can’t remember who introduced them, she has just eyes for Alex. “Why didn’t I get married off to a Knight,” she groans, “they are so handsome and tall. I know I have ancestors not too far down the line from the Knight family, but even so…” She feels sad and somehow finds herself spending quite a bit of time with Alex that evening. Alex is a real gentleman, polite and kind. Not once does he hint that she’s making a nuisance of herself, but entertains her with a kind smile. Anselma comes home with lots of happy stories. Ralph smiles and listens, his kind eyes never leaving her glowing face. If he is worried about the frequent mentions of Alex Knight, he doesn’t show it.

The next few days Anselma manages to contact Alex a few times. She has his SimMail address, and they even meet up for a coffee. Meeting Alex in her home would be very awkward, so they have a coffee at the café. Will, the waiter, is there as well, of course, his dark eyes taking in everything and everyone. He has a good memory and actually has the audacity to enquire after the other man she was with, the one with the large ears… “You mean my husband?” she asks, rather shocked. She glares at Will, who smiles, and winks at her! She gasps a little, honestly, who does he think he is! Then she giggles a little, for it’s a while since a man has made her blush. Alex is happy to chat, discussing various friends from SiMobile that they both know through parties. They talk about the awful way the government is clamping down on parties, driving people away from SiMobile, in order to meet more friends. The hour in the café is over before Anselma realises, and she has work waiting for her at home; so has Alex, who had explained that some of the work is a cover more than anything else. “I understand,” she had laughed, “if you tell me more, you’d have to kill me, and that would be unheard of in SiMobile!” They both laughed, then get up to go. Anselma wonders how to ask Alex to meet up again, but just as she thinks she has found a good way to ask, he dashes her hopes.

“It was nice meeting you, Anselma, but let’s leave it at that, shall we?” He smiles at her, still kind and polite, “I did enjoy the coffee, but we Knights make it a point to not get involved with anybody. So, yes, thanks for the nice time, and goodbye.” They shake hands, Anselma smiling, and assuring him that she’s really enjoyed it, making sure she mentions her husband and sons a few times, to show that there never had been any shady intentions on her part…! Once Alex has gone she does a quick walk round the park, then decides to grab a coffee to go before going home to update her blog. Will serves her, a cheeky grin on his face. When he hands her the latte, he leans over and says quietly, “As you come here with others for coffee, how about having one with me?” He waggles his eyebrow at her, a grey eyebrow, as he is definitely an elder. Anselma just manages to swallow the sharp retort, when she realises that he is actually still quite handsome. He is funny and flirty too, and she does feel bad for the older NPC’s, as they don’t often get to retire either. So she agrees, and a date is set.

The date with Will is a swirl, leaving Anselm breathless with laughter. His jokes are sometimes a little off, but she likes the naughty feeling it gives. “Ralph is always so serious, I’m only young once!” she whispers when she washes her hands, looking at her flushed cheeks in the little mirror. Anselma does feel twinges of guilt, but Will’s attentions and clear interest in her flatters her, and makes her forget everything. After all, it’s just a bit of fun, isn’t it? The date at the café leads to another date, and the two of them become quite close. Anselma feels uncomfortable, especially when she’s at home, watching the two boys, seeing Ralph’s steady walk around the kitchen, his grey eyes warm and alight whenever he sees her. “He trusts me completely,” she whispers in dismay, “not once will he think it strange that I go out, nothing in him makes him wonder what I do when he’s not there.” The whole thing is starting to feel wrong, and she wants to explain to Will. That’s not as easy as it seems though.

“What do you mean? You can’t just walk away now, and pretend we never met!” Will’s eyes flash with anger. “I’m an old NPC, you know that, and you are my one chance to have a full bassinet. At least give me that, so I have something to leave behind if I ever get to retire,” he pleads, his dark eyes calculating, unblinking. Anselma sighs, fill a bassinet with Will? No chance! Will pleads and explains, and when she still doesn’t give in, he threatens. “That business you’re always on about? I’m good with computers too. Easy enough to hack the stuff, and let all your followers know what you’ve been up to… that ugly husband of yours too…” he adds, sneering at her, laughing his horrid laugh. Anselma realises that she is trapped. Honesty would be the best policy, but shame keeps her stuck in bad decisions. “Just one baby, that’s all I want, I promise to stay out of your life,” he whispers, dark eyes gleaming like a snake’s, knowing the battle is won. Too late Anselma realises that Will meant the Mortina bassinet… Will just laughs at her tears, and soon the bassinet has another sleeping baby in it.

Ralph looks a little surprised, and assumes the baby is Nicholas and Keziah’s baby, and they assume the little boy belongs to Anselma and Ralph. Anselma finally realises how much she actually loves this large, sweet man, and is heartbroken over her betrayal. She sees now that she has moved past his face and lumbering figure, and learned to love his heart and his kindness. Now she has thrown it all away, just for a bit of fun. How could she? How could any Mortina break the most sacred bond in SiMobile? Granted, there are many loose relationships in SiMobile, but never in the Mortina Line. She cries bitter tears, and that’s how Ralph finds her. “What’s wrong?” he asks, his deep rumbling voice surprised, “I didn’t realise you were so desperate to have another baby too, so once theirs has become a toddler we could fill the bassinet, you know,” he smiles gently, thinking she is jealous. Anselma breaks down, and blurts out the ugly truth in heart wrenching sobs, wailing her regrets and remorse. Ralph is stunned. His beautiful wife has betrayed him? For an old NPC? He sits down, all strength drained from him. “What…what did you call the baby?” he whispers hoarsely in the end.

“Zachariah,” Anselma sobs, “meaning the Lord has remembered.” Silence reigns for a while, only Anselma’s sobs can be heard. “I’m so very, very sorry Ralph, and if you wish to return to your parents, I will totally understand,” she whispers, wondering how she will explain his absence to her family, and to Roald and Ramon… Ralph shakes his head, and goes to her, taking her in his arms.

“No,” he whispers, “no, I won’t go. You see, I know our marriage was very much one sided, and I can’t blame you. I think you’re wrong to judge people based on their looks, but I have my own faults too. I think this little baby is a reminder for you, but also for me. Your attitude to me hurt, you see. It hurt an awful lot, and I have been so incredibly lonely. In it all I trusted the Lord, though, and leaned on Him. I have found that in it all He was enough. This little baby has the right name, for it reminded you of what is important in life; and the name you chose is a reminder from God to me, that He has been with me all this time. Zachariah, yes, Jehovah has remembered me, and vindicated me as well, I think.” Ralph hugs her, kisses her head. Anselma just cries and cries, feeling ashamed of her terrible treatment of this man, this solid man. How she hurt him, and how sad he must have been to see her looking down on him, just because of his looks…

When she has calmed down they go to look at little Zachariah, walking to his bassinet hand in hand, one comforted, one taught, both wiser and kinder. Both remembered, with a sweet little boy as a daily reminder.

Coloured Hair

Colourful

“…so you see, it has to be colourful, you know, pinks, greens, reds, that sort of thing.” Erik is grinning, his blue eyebrows waggling. “It sounds great fun, I just don’t know if I can do it, although my family will be disappointed of course. I mean, my father loved his family, they all stayed very close even after he married my mother. It would be a little awkward if no Mortina would attend. We normally attend so if we didn’t this time, well, that would be…well, we can’t of course, and…”

There is a gasp from the doorway. Tessa and Erik swing round to find Zahra standing there. She has just come back, and overheard the last few words. “Not going? What do you mean, not going to a party? Why ever would we not go to a party? Is it an invite from our friends? I saw the postman on my way here, and I did wonder about the late post,” she rattles, eyes shining with excitement. Zahra loves parties, and since her last trait and the upset it caused, she has been determined not to miss out on anything fun in SiMobile. “You were going to tell me, weren’t you? So, the theme is colourful? Great, I love colours, and those pantsuits from the Summer Sale, well, I know the Mortina tradition has always been skirts and dresses, but that pantsuit, is so bright and just shouts ‘Summer’ at you! Where is the party?”

Erik and Tessa glance at each other, looking a little uneasy, and Zahra is starting to worry. “They’re keeping something from me, I just know it! I wonder if the invite was for younger people only, and nobody with all their traits is allowed in or something. I bet that’s why the theme is colourful, thinking that those that will retire when the Gems arrive won’t wear gaudy colours. Well, they’re wrong. I’m quite happy to wear something colourful for a party! I know Michael and I have missed out, because we were so busy, and I know it tends to be younger people going to all the fun arties, but not exclusively! So what is in the invite that I shouldn’t go? I wonder why they are looking at me like that for?” Zahra looks at Tessa and Erik, who are clearly embarrassed; in fact, Tessa’s eyes are starting to fill up with tears! Erik sighs, and takes a deep breath.

He picks up the invite and hands it to Zahra, “You see, cousin, it’s not colourful clothes. It’s colourful hair!” Zahra gasps! Hair? Colourful hair? A party theme that specifies colourful hair? Subconsciously her hand reaches up to touch her dark brown hair, pulled in its usual tight bun, every hair in place of course. So if she wants to attend this party she will need to dye her hair? She looks at the invite, reading it, her lips moving along with the words. She gives another shocked little gasp at the end, and has to read the invite again. It is only after Zahra has  read the invite three times, word for word, that she looks up from the invite, and wordlessly hands the invite back to Erik. She looks at Tessa and Erik, and can’t help but notice the difference. Tessa looking anxiously at her, thin hands clasped, eyes large and grey and filled with sympathetic tears, her whole thin body tense. Erik, on the other hand has a massive grin, and won’t stop waggling his blue eyebrows. In fact, he even looks excited, as if dyeing your hair some absurd colour just for a party is…is…well, acceptable and even something to look forward to!

Zahra is about to make a scathing remark about families that throw parties for hippies only, when she remembers the family name on the invite! It is only then that the name registers, as well as Erik’s words that she overheard just as she was coming into the room. It’s Erik’s father’s family! It’s the Lothbrok family throwing the party! Zahra gasps again, and stammers, “It’s…oh, it’s your father’s family…I suppose, well, I mean, do they really expect us… Well, what I mean, everybody in SiMobile knows the Mortina Dynasty and the name we have to keep up, and surely…” She doesn’t know what to say, for Erik is grinning at her, his head to one side, as if enjoying her discomfort, wondering when she will dig herself into the muck so deeply, that she won’t be able to get out unaided! Tessa looks more tense than ever, actually wringing her bony hands, tears hanging off her eyelashes; tears magnifying her beautiful grey eyes.

Zahra sighs, this is getting awkward, I mean, surely Erik doesn’t think it’s alright to go? “Oh, cousin,” he says suddenly, sounding exasperated but in a good humoured sort of way, “it’s just for a laugh. You just dye your hair for one evening, go to the party, meet with friends, talk to friends, and then you come home, you dye it back to normal, and well, you’ve only got great memories and pictures to show for it. It’s just…well, really it’s just like wearing a coloured hat!” He grins at her, and chuckles when he sees the horror on her face. “Look, my dad had blue hair, and nobody seemed to really mind! You know, not everyone dyeing their hair is a hippie, and not everyone with dyed hair is going through an identity crises, or has such low self esteem they can’t live with their natural looks… Some people just like it! Some people just want to do it for fun.” He stops, a bit breathless after such a long speech.

Tessa is nodding vigorously, and adds with a shaky voice, and even shakier smile, 2It can be really good fun, you see. I mean, I know it could look, well, running away from reality really, but it…it is different for a party, I’m really sure it is. Just imagine how colourful it will look, of everybody joins in, you see, it will be alright again afterwards. These parties do only happen once every now and again, and…well, you might not get many more chances…” she breaks off, as she sees Zahra’s face crumple, and tears drop suddenly onto Zahra’s cheeks. Tessa stands in horror, stricken dumb by the consequences of her words! She, Tessa has made the cool, calm, composed Zahra cry! She holds her face in her hands in shock, and then rushes over to Zahra, throwing her slender arms round her. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like that, I really should have thought, I’m…” she whispers over and over.

Zahra shakes her head, her tears drying already, and manages to drag her lips into a very watery smile. “No, don’t apologise, it’s just that I keep forgetting how little time I have left. I keep forgetting that Michael and I promised to actually do some good, and have some quality time whilst we still can! No, really Tessa, I am fine, don’t worry. I…I will need to think about this, and discuss it with Michael. It is not something we Mortinas have ever done, and, well, frankly it doesn’t sound like the sort of thing the Dynasty is known for. On the other hand, you are right, Erik, there is a lot of prejudice around, and I really wouldn’t want to put your family in that light, ever. So I will have a think about it…” Zahra looks at her pantsuit and suddenly grins, adding, “As I’m wearing trousers, it seems like I have broken the Mortina mould anyway!” They all laugh and Tessa looks relieved, Erik looks  bursting with anticipation, and Zahra looks thoughtful and eager to find Michael…

Tessa is in the hobby room, stretching, bending, day dreaming on her yoga mat. She and Erik are by themselves in the room, but she can hear Zahra’s voice. Zahra is becoming very firm friends with Charlotte Wayne-Knight. The two are seen together a lot, talking about art and artists. Tessa pulls a face, she really has no idea about art. Of course, there are some paintings that she likes, and some that she abhors, but that is as far as her art knowledge goes. She is pretty sure that Zahra doesn’t know that much more, seeing that Zahra’s mother came from the same household as Tessa, so not that high flying either. Tessa chuckles, she has seen that look in Zahra’s eyes, a look that says she’s winging it, trying to look intelligent, and making stuff up as she goes along. Charlotte, well, that is a totally different story. The girl has got class, it shows in the way she dresses, and her whole bearing shows her background and upbringing. Thanks to Charlotte, or Charlie as Zahra loves to call her new friend, thanks to her Zahra has actually learned quite a bit about art. Tessa giggles as she wonders if anyone from Charlotte’s household will attend the party….fancy seeing them, with their stylish dresses and pale skin, their regal way of walking…and coloured hair? Well, it would be a great fun, she sighs, not holding her breath on that one!

The thing that makes Tessa lose her balance and spin round is the very loud intake of breath, followed by uproarious laughter from her husband. Tessa feels her face burn, and tears sting immediately, as she is sure that he is laughing at her. After all, the tree thing position she tried to do didn’t go too well. When she looks at him she realises that he isn’t looking at her at all! He is looking at the kitchen, where Zahra is standing. Wait, is that Zahra? Tessa actually rubs her eyes, thinking that the sheen of tears must have made her imagine things. It is Zahra, but what a change! The flowery pantsuit with its reds and pinks is complemented by…Tessa stares, gaping, not believing her eyes! Has the prim and proper Zahra really got bright pink hair? Seriously? Tessa snorts with laughter, her knees wobbling, and soon she is gasping for breath. To see Zahra of all people with a bright pink, tightly done up bun, pink sunglasses and summer outfit… Priceless!

Zahra come into the room, looking a little self conscious, but actually rather pleased. “What do you think?” she asks, a little nervously, adjusting her pink sunglasses, “I just feel, well, a bit silly really, but I just wanted to do it! I talked to Michael about it, but he didn’t want to do it. He said that his brothers won’t dye their hair either, but are planning on wearing towels round their head!” Zahra giggles then, the sudden sound making Tessa jump, “I don’t know what I’ll do if I meet them at the party! I mean, those big, burly Knights…with bright coloured towels wound round their heads? What if I laugh, I mean, it would be terrible; it would look like I’m taking the mick, and of course, I would never do that!” Zahra sounds outraged by the mere idea that somebody might think she’s laughing at another Sim! Tessa smiles, and looks at the pink hair rather wistfully. It would be a laugh, just to try it out… She would never want to keep her hair dyed, and not pink…visions of her brothers’ blue eyed ‘concubine’ float through her head, and she shudders. No, not pink! Erik is still laughing, but he tells Zahra that he likes it.

“I’m really chuffed, cousin,” he laughs, “I love to see you trying something out, something different! You go and enjoy yourself. I’m just going to finish my guitar practice, then I’m going for a bit of a makeover as well…” He smooths out his blond hair, and smiles at Tessa. “What about you, Tess, you’re going to go wild tonight as well, and throw caution overboard…?” He looks at his wife, feeling his love for her beating inside his heart, struggling to not drown in her large eyes, and finding his breath come faster, just by looking at her sweet face! He manages to somehow come down to earth again, and looks at her, his head to one side, wondering if Tessa will actually do it! He has seen the woman that her brother was with, her pink hair and large, cat like blue eyes drawing attention. So he can understand Tessa’s aversion against dyed hair.

To his joy she nods though. “Yes,” she says, her voice sweet and quiet, “not pink though!” Her frail body shivers, just the thought of having the pink air like…like that woman…no chance! Zahra laughs, and is soon off to the party, excitement making her laugh out loud! Tessa smiles, and soon Tessa and Erik dash off to get changed. Tessa looks in the mirror, and wonders what will go with her outfit. She just loves the canary yellow top and green skirt… She takes a very deep breath, and resolutely grabs the green dye. It worked! Tessa looks in the mirror in astonishment! It looks so…so different, but good! She twirls around, trying to catch glimpses of her green curly head, giggling like a schoolgirl. When she steps out of the room, she gasps, then shrieks with laughter! There is Erik, his hair bright blue, as well as the two day beard…

He laughs, and hugs her, lifting her off the ground as always. “My gran, Kiera, apparently had this colour, so I thought it would be great to wear it at the house where she used to live…” He grins at Tessa’s sudden tears as she gushes over his words, telling him that he is the most caring man ever, just to think of things like that! Erik laughs, he loves his emotional wife; loves how she reacts so strongly, her heart showing in her tears. He touches his blue hairdo, and laughs. He is really looking forward to the party!

Zahra is having a great time, and is stunned by the different colours! She looks round the lovely house, having had a quick tour. One of the Lothbrok girls showed her round, as the house had recently been done up! Zahra loves it, and exclaims, “Oh, I love the wallpaper all round, the effect is just great! Oh, that kitchen, the floor! Brilliantly done, I love it. It is so stylish, so artistic,” she says quickly, thinking of her new growing friendship with Charlie, as she loves to call Charlotte. “very artistic, I must say, and I love the colours and ehm…” Zahra tries to think of something else to say that will prove that she is a bit of an art expert herself, but her mind has gone blank. Is that really one of the Knights, smoking, pretending he is sitting on a chair? Zahra wanders in and out of the house, finding her smile growing and growing. So many wonderful people, so much laughter! Her face lights up when she sees her friend, Charlotte Wayne-Knight, walk into the house, having her beautiful long hair dyed green! Zahra and Charlotte have a laugh together, and before Zahra realises it’s time to go! She feels a little sad going home. It was such a wonderful time!

The three of them have their picture taken, posing in their weird and wonderful hairdos. Zahra laughs when Michael asks her how it went. “It was better than I thought! The colour makes you feel so different, it’s very odd. I can see why people do it now. I will be relieved to get my own colour back though, that’s who I am, and that who I want to be. It was fun to see all the different colours, I’m very glad I went. Something was a bit off with the bubble blower I’m sure, a lot of people seemed affected by the bubbles,” Zahra says slowly, picturing in her head Charlie and the Knight family, sitting down in random places…. “I’m glad, so glad I went. I realise how important friends are, and how important it is to be with others, to talk to them, to laugh together, and to cry together. To actually do something special, something out of the ordinary together, it’s…well, it’s made me feel like I belong, like I’m alive. I’m glad I went, and I’m glad to be me again too!”

Sunglasses

Sunglasses

“Oh, what have I done? What have I done to myself, and…and to Michael, and…Oh I can’t believe I never saw it!” Zahra is sitting at her large desk in the hobby room, tears dripping on the papers in front of her. She cries and cries, and for once forgets what those tears will do to her eyes… The morning started so calm and organised, just like any morning. She just went to get the post, and her life, or at least the day, changed.

Sitting at her dark oak desk, Zahra goes through the morning post. As the Mortina household is rather large, they always have a lot of post. Having many friends means that a lot of the post consists of invites, letters, notes and postcards. Zahra is the one that is doing the Writing Hobby at the moment, so it’s her job to organise the post each morning. This morning is no exception, so Zahra had gone to the post box, thinking like her artistic mind does every morning, “Why can’t the post box be moved? It’s not aesthetical at all! At least if we could give it a colour…” Whist flicking through the stack of mail she spotted two SiMobile Government envelopes, one for her and one for Michael. There was another interesting envelope addressed to them all, and right at the bottom she found an envelop that had the Knight insignia on it… Zahra walked a little faster into the house. An envelope from the Knight Family?

She slides onto her chair with her usual graceful moves, something she tries to maintain, even though her traits are stacking up. She smooths her hand over the polished wood, taking in the smell of her wonderful desk. A desk that has been in the Mortina Dynasty for generations. She loves this desk, and she loves her hobby. At first she just chose the writing hobby to be near Michael. She smiles whilst sorting the post by names. She adores Michael, and he plays the piano exceptionally well, having many useful skills that he says he uses… As soon as she found out that Michael was going to do the piano hobby, Zahra had picked the writing one! After all, the desk is right next to the piano. Her smile grows bigger, as she remembers how both of the used to spend time on their hobbies… She would be writing a poem, or edit an article for a cousin; behind her, Michael would be practising. Even simple scales he somehow managed to make special. Once she had asked him why he managed to do that, and he had grinned at her, and whispered, “Because of you, my darling! Whenever I play, I can feel your presence just behind me. So I play with love, which is any Sim’s secret weapon…!”

She put the two SiMobile Government envelopes to one side, then the invites in the middle, and the rest she sorts by name. “Now, let’s see,” Zahra sighs, and picks up the two stacks, holding a stack in each hand. “What shall I open first, the government ones or the ones that are clearly invites…!” Zahra hesitates, smiling still. “It’s a case of swallow the nasty medicine and have a sweet after, or line your mouth with honey first so the horrid taste doesn’t get noticed… What shall I do?” In the end Zahra decides that she will need some honey first. She has been a bit down the last few days, seeing her sweet daughters Bethany and Keziah all grown up, looking very alike, has made her realise how fast Simlife can change! So Zahra picks up the first special envelope, and excitedly opens it She was right, it is an invite! Aria and Garrett are throwing a party, to celebrate their wedding! Zahra beams at the envelope, as if somehow passing on to the happy couple how pleased she is for them. Garrett is a little older, and was starting to wonder if he would be left on the SiMobile shelf…

Now for the envelope from the Knight Family. Zahra feels a little thrill opening this one. She still can’t believe she married Michael Knight! She fell for him the first time she saw him, but every night after meeting Michael she would secretly cry herself to sleep. She worried about that, as it could ruin her complexion, but somehow she couldn’t stop the tears. She was so very afraid that Michael would get the dreaded Llama Flu, that it almost made her ill, thinking about it! One day, Michael noticed that she was worried and upset, and he had asked her about it. Being a Knight, he soon had her pouring out her heart and she had actually cried! Zahra had been mortified, but Michael had taken it all in his stride, of course. He had assured her that he would do all he could to stay healthy. He also pointed out how rare the Pink Blob Strain was, and that most families seemed to get hit with the Weebles Strain, the vaccination in the local hospital obviously not being very effective. He has assured Zahra that things would be alright, and that he loved her, and would never do anything to grieve her. She had calmed down after a while, and somehow managed to enjoy the wedding. She didn’t sleep a wink the night before Michael moved in, and felt quite weak and sick in the morning. That day Michael had moved in, and had been fine! Zahra had cried tears of relief in the golden bathroom, and since then had been absolutely fine.

“I’m not really the worrying type,” she muses, looking at the envelope, thinking back at those early days. “Mind you, we were very young, just promoted and all that, which puts a lot of strain on anybody. I hope Michael has forgotten how I wept and wailed… Bit embarrassing that; I hope the girls won’t do that to their future spouses…!” That makes her look down at the envelope again. She pulls out the letter, another party invite! The whole family is invited to a Red, White and Blue Pool Party. She sits back, smiling. Pool parties and the Knights? Perfect combination!

She grins, thinking about some of the stories Michael has told her. “There are a lot of stories that I won’t be able to tell you, the information is classified,” he had explained. She had shivered a little with excitement and pride. She was proud of her sweet, kind Michael, who had been on some secret missions, as she imagined. Michael told her that a lot of the work was very low key, and not spectacular at all. Well, Zahra had figured that some of the activities they engaged in had been spectacular in that case. Hence the shiver, and her heart swelling with pride. Now they had a pool party, and Zahra sat their, wondering who would wear speedos, and who would wear towels. After all, not everybody had taken part in the Hot Tub Event… She sighs with happiness, a long, drawn out sigh. In her head she starts working her way through her wardrobe. Red, white and blue…that shouldn’t be too impossible! Should she start looking for an outfit now…she remembers the other two envelopes, the Government ones, and hesitates. Should she ignore them, and sort out her dress first? Duty calls though, and she knows Michael would approve. He is a real stickler for duty, she grimaces.

So Zahra sits down again at her desk, and opens the envelope addressed to her Zahra Mortina. She pulls the letter out…and feels herself going cold. The letter drops onto the wooden desk, and Zahra stares ahead, not seeing anything, not feeling anything. She is frozen up; unable to move and unable to think, apart from the one thought: what have I done! After a long time the shock starts to wear off, and Zahra returns to herself. She looks down at the letter, and the tears begin to form in her beautiful eyes. There is no way she can stop the flood of tears, and they splatter on the Government letter, and they drip on the party invites, making the ink run. Zahra doesn’t notice and doesn’t care either. She is sobbing, her face buried in her beautifully shaped hands. “I’m sorry,” she sobs, “I’m so sorry, so, so sorry! Please give us more time, please Lord, give us more time! I have been so foolish, please give us some time together!”

That is how Michael finds her when he comes home after working in the hospital all morning. He quickly walks up to his precious wife, who is always to calm and composed. Now she is sitting at her desk, a sniffing, snotty mess! He worries at first that somebody in the family has been struck down with Llama Flu, but no, as a doctor he would have heard! He hugs her, and Zahra cries on his shoulder. Eventually he manages to get her to calm down, and she says, her voice all shaken and raw, “Our last trait has arrived! I know we accepted the Trait application, but now it has arrived! Michael, I don’t want to retire yet! We have just been living like…like simple, straightforward…well, bog-standard Sims! We have worked hard at our hobbies, we work hard at our jobs, we had children, who are now all grown up…now we have our last trait, so in a short while we will retire…and…” tears overwhelm Zahra again, and she finishes her sentence in a wail, “We haven’t lived!”

Michael sits back a little. In his heart, he agrees. He has felt so all along, but didn’t want to upset his wife. She seems so cool and calm, but he saw the mess she got herself in when they got married and he was about to move in… She had worked herself up in such a state, that he didn’t want to rock her world again. He had been quite bored though; missing the excitement and thrill, as well as the job satisfaction after…well, after their missions. He loved his wife, and he really enjoyed playing the piano, but he still wished for more. He learned to be content though, and he adored his two pretty daughters, roughhousing with them when they were little, cheering them up once they grew older. He feels a sense of loss as well, thinking about the last trait. Now all they have to look forward to is the letter to offer them retirement.

He hugs Zahra tighter, and soon she grows a little calmer. “Don’t apologise, my love, don’t. I knew we ought to make better use of our time here in SiMobile, but didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to upset you, but it’s not too late yet, my sweet. We can start today, and we don’t have to worry about the retirement notice. For one thing, even in the retirement home they’re probably desperate to have some help. You do know that Miriam and Lucille were plotting something? Those two together…well, there will be some rescue missions there too, I would think…!” This cheers Zahra up, and she grins suddenly at the mention of her mum’s name.

She relaxes at little, eyes dreamy, and giggles suddenly, sounding a bit like Miriam there all of a sudden. “Yes,” she giggles, “yes, those two together… I’m glad I don’t have to deal with it by myself…! She shows him the invite to his family home, and Michael is thrilled. “You know, I think you ought to go,” she says, smiling at him, love pouring from her eyes, rather than tears, “After all, it’s your family, and I think we both ought to have some good times before it’s too late!” Her smile wobbles then, and Michael holds her tighter. “I know it would mean losing your suit, but that’s alright by me,” she says, and he looks at her, pride shining in his kind eyes. Zahra loves fashion, and insist on people dressing properly, so for her to tell him to ditch his special suit, and wear red, white and blue…! He looks at her, and realises how much he loves her.

They stay close together for a while, and then Michael tries to persuade Zahra to go too. “You could do with some fun as well,” he says, looking into her eyes, “it would do you good! Wear that lovely blue dress you had the other day, and just go for it!” She smiles then, a little watery, but definitely a smile. Until Zahra looks in the mirror and exclaims that she can’t possibly go to the House of Knights with red eyes, sore from crying! Michael chuckles, “Darling, it’s a pool party, just wear those new sunglasses we just won! You know what my family will be like, they’ll all be wearing speedos and sunglasses.” He can see the doubt in Zahra’s pretty face, and says, more persuasively, “Sweetie, they’ll be way too polite to ask you, you do realise that? And the other Knights, well you don’t think they’ll worry about it, do you?” He grins at her, and Michael is relieved when he sees her face relaxing, her eyes drifting, clearly going through wardrobe choices…he recognises the signs…

Zahra sighs, yes she would love to go, she just needs a bit of light hearted fun. A pool party at the House of Knights sounds exactly like it… As long as sunglasses will really do the trick… She checks in the mirror, and yes, the red sunglasses will do the trick. Zahra is excited by now, and all dressed and ready. She loves parties, and tends to be the one attending the more formal ones, as Tessa is still a little bit shy. She spots Michael walking past, and gasps! He walks in, the biggest grin Zahra has ever seen on his face. He is still wearing the hat, coins flying everywhere, but now has a bright red shirt… “Goodness, that shirt is…so red!” she giggles, and she can feel a terrible attack of the Giggles coming on, “it does suit you though,” she gasps, and soon both are hanging in each other’s arms, unable to stand up unaided, totally overcome with giggles, and Zahra manages to grunt, “Like it says, ‘Two are better than one (…)For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him that is alone when he falls, for he has not another to help him up.’ I’m glad I have you, and I’m so excited about the party. It will be special, I just know it! I feel better already, and more alive than I have been all this time, even having the girls… Thank you, dearest, for pulling me up!”

 

 

Miriam

Miriam

She was absolutely sure that there was more cheese in the fridge. Miriam is standing in front of the fridge, a frown on her face. She checks the shelves again, and the more she looks the more she is convinced that a lot of the cheese has gone. She groans, just what she needed. She had sneaked into the kitchen in the dark, hoping to quickly grab a chunk, mainly to cheer her up. Now the cheese she was looking forward to is no longer there. “How strange,” she mutters, trying to think back to when she stacked the fridge. “I only stocked it just before the Cocktail Party…” her voice trails off, as she all of a sudden remembers some of the guests making multiple trips to the kitchen, coming out in giggles, and looking just a tiny bit guilty! “Oh well, I suppose I shouldn’t have it at night anyway. I have been so busy at this job, I haven’t done any yoga for a while either, so cheese is probably not the best idea anyway.”

Miriam hesitates, but decides to go back to bed, back to her thoughts. Slowly she makes her way through the silent house, relieved that everyone is asleep. Explaining midnight snacking is always a bit embarrassing, she grins, and I don’t really feel like talking to anyone either. Here the grin melts away, replaced by a worried frown. “I just don’t know what’s wrong with me, I’m so tired these days!” Miriam had complained to her best friend, Lucille Ball. “I just don’t have any energy, everything takes so long, and I’m just ready to go to bed as soon as I come home. Last night I didn’t even want to go to the party. I went, of course, but I really had to make myself!”

Lucille had sympathised, and listened to Miriam, her eyes looking worried as she listened. This was not the friend she had come to know and enjoy! They used to have such good times together, and now Miriam looked all sad and dejected. What was going on? Of course, Lucille managed to draw Miriam out of whatever mood it was that she was struggling with at the moment, and soon the two of them are laughing again. Miriam’s dancing always makes Lucille double up with laughter, and soon Miriam seems the old Miriam again.

Miriam knows better though, and that evening in bed, she thinks about it, a big frown which changes her whole face, very unlike her! “Something is wrong with me, I just know it. Maybe it’s llama flu, or something else, but I’m not myself at the moment. I am just so tired, my legs won’t move. My job at the Club is driving me nuts, it’s getting boring now. It’s mainly elderly people who come to dance, and only when Lucille turns up is it great to be there. Zahra is will be a toddler soon…” and suddenly Miriam finds tears dripping on her pillow! “My life is just so empty, and it used to be so much fun! I don’t know what has happened!”

Samuel has noticed as well, and he is worried. “Are you alright?” he asks one evening, when it’s just the two of them in the house. They are sitting in the lounge of the Granny Annexe, where it is a lot quieter. A lot of their children are grown up, so they help keep an eye on the little ones. “I just noticed that you seem a bit quieter, so I was wondering about you,” he explains, “I just thought of it, as you looked really tired coming in here.” Miriam snuggles up, elbowing him at the same time,  causing Samuel to groan and protest, and soon they’re both laughing, poking and tickling. When they finally stop, both completely out of breath, Miriam sits up, brushes her wild black hair out of her face, and sighs. This sobers up Samuel Vince quicker than anything else!

Miriam leans against him, and both are very quiet for a moment, rather unheard of with them! Then Miriam starts, sounding tired now, “Yes, I have been so tired. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s Llama Flu, who knows. Lots of our friends have had relatives affected by it. It just seemed to have come suddenly, and I don’t feel like anything at the moment.” Samuel doesn’t know what to say to this, so they sit together for a while. Miriam suddenly continues, “It started just before we had that talk with Magnus and Esther. In fact, just before Lucille told me she was going to accept retirement after the next Gems.”

This makes Samuel sit up, and hug her tightly, “Oh my dear, crazy darling,” he gushes, big grin back in it’s usual place. “You’re just feeling down, that’s all! It’s a case of the blues, and not surprising either! You get on with Lucille really well, so her retirement would be very sad. Then we decided to retire soon after her announcement and after the meeting with Magnus and Esther. That meeting was a bit upsetting too, as we had sort of hoped to have another string of babies… We agreed to just one more, so that probably didn’t help your mood!”

Miriam laughs, suddenly, her loud, wild laugh, filling the Annexe with it’s rich sound. “You know, you could be right! How silly of me… I do feel very sad about so many things, and I think all the bad news has drained me. I will miss Lucille dreadfully, which is why I’m actually happy to retire after we get our Gems. I just never realised how boring the job in the Club was going to be! It looked so exciting, you know, the lights and music, people coming in to dance…turns out it’s mostly retired people, some of them still trying to trick others into giving them stickers! I think they should be banned from the club if they do that! There is not much to do either, just play the music, or talk to people. I thought I’d be partying all the time!”

Miriam feels the grey, heavy cloud lifting a little for the first time. Yes, she thinks, it’s just the blues, but soon I will be retired! I’m quite excited about that actually, I’m just too tired and down at the moment. She thinks about the bassinet and their wild scheme, and before she knows it, giggles are bubbling up. She turns to Samuel and says, “You know, when we were thinking of ways to Restore Justice to your ancestor, what’s his name again? Thomas? No…Chris! That’s it, Chris, well, remember we were thinking of lots of plans. I still think we had the best plan! I mean, that guy Gregory at the Club, he’s absolutely ancient. All he does is scrubbing that table. He really is hopeless, and so are some of the other ones staggering round town. The Government would never have allowed an old people’s home though, would they. After your final birthday cake they frown on relatives contacting their elders that have moved out.”

This is true, and it’s the one thing that all retired people dread. It’s not so much the grey hair, the stooped shoulders and the aimless wandering; it’s the fact that after some time, a birthday cake will be presented, which is when you have to leave the home. Your family cannot contact you again, although some friends and relations still can. The Government obviously wants families to be forward looking, not stuck in the past, but surely a family should be allowed to keep in touch! Miriam feels the grey cloud descending again, thinking about never seeing her family again. Never seeing her best friend Lucille again…or maybe she will actually, and the sun comes out again. In fact, they might even be in the same apartment block. If so… and Miriam’s overactive party mind sets to work straight away.  Samuel groans, he knows that look…!

“I still think our plan was best,” he says, trying to get Miriam out of crazy planning mode, “I love our children, and I’m sure they’ll make a difference. I’m sure it really was a fitting way of restoring Chris, and of course Vincent as well. I had to repair past injustices for two, which we did!” They laugh, and Samuel says, more dreamily, “Twenty six children would have been amazing though, imagine the impact! They would have had to move out of course whilst they were still quite young…”

Miriam looks at him, and she feels the ground sinking beneath her, as the reality of that statement sinks in. Somehow it had never entered her head; she just thought it was a bit of a laugh having children in alphabetical order, sending them into SiMobile to replace the NPCs there… The consequences of the scheme never registered with her. Until now, that is. Her precious children will need to move out. She will never see them again, unless she bumps into them by accident. They will leave, she will retire, so she has no way of communicating with any of them! She can feel panic starting to wriggle in her stomach, and actually lies her hands on her stomach to keep the fear under control. “My children!” she gasps to Samuel “My children, and I will have to say goodbye to them forever! Where will they go, what will they do now?”

Samuel Vince realises that Miriam is really upset, and he hugs her, and tries to comfort her. “I’m sure some of them will be married off. How about your sister’s children, they will need spouses won’t they? And how about my cousin Eva, she has got at least one child, hasn’t she? So maybe some could marry their children? There might be some friends who will need spouses. Anyway, there are plenty of flats available, and they’re all very good in landing on their feet!”

Miriam stares ahead, thinking about the coming days, and how she will need to say goodbye to her children. “What about the Dynasty?” she suddenly asks Samuel, and he looks surprised. “Will any of our children be eligible for the Dynasty at all? Or do they just take siblings? Maybe one of the girls could be nominated, or whatever you do to stay in the house…”

Samuel agrees, and explains about the family meeting they usually have. “When the Gems are out, or almost out, we have a large Family Meeting, and we decide on the future of the Dynasty. Two people can  take over the house. That could be brother and sister, or cousins. What we did in Eva’s case was that she was promoted, she got married to Paul, and moved in with your parents. Once she left, I was promoted, and I then got to know you!” Another wild interlude follows, and when they’re all calm and trying to catch their breath again, Samuel says, “I think one of the girls should be promoted, really. Maybe Zahra; as she is the youngest, she won’t have much time to prepare herself for an independent life. Camilla is so pretty, and energetic, maybe she ought to marry into your family? Does your sister have a boy? Maybe Eva has a boy… We could do the same thing, promote Camilla, till she has moved in with your relatives, and then promote Zahra… She will need a good husband though. We’ll have a look round…”

Miriam feels a little better, it is helpful to make plans, she finds; the future doesn’t look so bleak when you plan ahead. The idea of Camilla marrying one of her relatives pleases her as well. That way, she will feel her little girl will be looked after. Zahra is special, as she is the last of her children. As she was the last, Miriam took more pains over the name. It had to be a ‘Z’ of course, but she wanted a name with meaning. The other children’s names had been rather random, but this last baby had to be special. It felt so final, and Miriam spent a long time studying names, feeling them on her tongue, checking them for meaning. When she came across ‘Zahra’ she fell in love with the name. Zahra, meaning Dawn in Hebrew…just perfect! The Dawn of another phase, another sphere in SiMobile. Dawn, bringing light, and hope and a new day. She felt sad about closing the chapter, but this last special baby reminded her constantly, that ‘weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning’; yes, she would cling to that, whenever the grey clouds suppressed her. She would cling to that thought, rather than the thought that she had missed out on another eighteen children…

Miriam manages, but still finds it hard to be as upbeat as she always was. She still meets up with Lucille whenever she can though, but some days she feels too tired and down to even talk to anybody. It is on days like that, when she doesn’t even fancy a party, that Esther goes to the parties. Esther doesn’t mind, she isn’t much of a party goer, but she doesn’t shy away from them either. As the bassinet will be free any moment now, Esther feels like partying anyway! They will finally have their family, finally have a child!

So Esther gets dressed up, goes to the parties, meets and makes friend; eventually Miriam decides to go, as she hears the last party is at Lucille’s house, a Special Ball. Both girls dress up in smart outfits, and Miriam is relieved when she finally makes it to Lucille’s house. She gasps, as the house has got a huge ballroom, and Lucille is there, waiting, smiling… Miriam rushes over to her friend, and they chat, and plan, and together they are determined to shake up all the old people around town.. Just wait till the Gems arrive, then trouble will begin, they both smile, looking like the conspirators that they are… SiMobile beware!

Alphabet

Alphabet

When Magnus walks through the door, he meets a very excited Esther. “Come and have a look, another garden patch has finished,” she squeals, her face beaming with pleasure. Magnus laughs, but he does follow her into the back garden. He must admit, he tries to avoid the back garden, as it’s such a mess! Each patch takes many days of extremely hard work in order to raise the funds to clear the patch. Once the gardeners set to work, it will still take several days before they have actually cleared the land. It took the four of them quite a while to earn enough money to finally be able to contact the gardeners. To be honest, he had forgotten all about the patch clearing, it took so long!

He looks at the empty patch, and looks at the Granny Annexe. Plans were that they would clear enough land to move the Annexe. It is so close to the main house, that it makes the courtyard look minute. Also, another bedroom would be helpful, what with Samuel and Miriam’s brood all growing up! Would this one cleared patch do it though… Magnus looks at the patch, walks round the Annexe, measures with his eyes, and still wonders! Samuel arrives to have a look too, and being Samuel he is convinced it will fit perfectly. “Yes, I’m sure it will fit, easily! We could just move the whole thing up, easy as that. Just put those gates into storage for now, and just shove the whole lot along a bit.”

The gates are put into storage, so is the wedding arch. The shoving starts, but as soon as they lay hands on he building both men realise they will have a problem. It’s not going to be that easy after all! They check a bit more carefully this time, and then find a solution. It will need some turning and refitting, but it works. Magnus suggests resizing the bathroom as well, as it will give the house a much bigger courtyard. The Granny Annexe’s main room is made a little larger, and soon the whole thing is done! Magnus is pleased, he really likes this kind of work! He is glad they managed to fit it all, and most of the items are removed from store and fitted back into the Annexe. The house looks different, he smiles to himself, definitely more space around!

“All we need is a bit more Simoleans, and we’ll have that extra bedroom done too,” laughs Samuel, making it sound as if the room can be ordered in the morning, rather than in a few days time… “I love the new outlook, much lighter! It’s a nice place actually, I might even accept my last Trait!” and roaring at his joke he stalks off, finding some new scheme no doubt. Magnus is left standing by himself, a sad and thoughtful look on his face. He hadn’t realised that he’d been staring after Samuel, until a slender hand appears on his arm, squeezing him close. Esther has appeared at his side. She had noticed that the Granny Annexe was in place, so she came to have a look, and to check the furnishings. Good thing too, one of the wall hangings had moved, so together they put it back in the right place. Esther is watching Magnus’ face, a little worry line on her forehead. He was just standing there, staring, and she had heard Samuel’s loud laugh. She wondered if Samuel had said something inappropriate, as tact wasn’t his strength… He could do with the Tactful Trait, or something like that, she had mumbled to herself whilst going over to Magnus to find out what happened.

She asks him whilst fluffing up the cushions on the red sofa, and Magnus smiles at her. “Don’t worry, I’m alright. It’s just something that Samuel said that made me think about lots of stuff.” He grins then, his handsome face alight suddenly, like the sun peeking round a cloud. “Samuel mentioned how nice the Annexe was, and that he might even accept the last trait, meaning retirement might come soon. It made me think about our last traits. We haven’t accepted them either, and I just felt sad. I really don’t want to get retirement notices just yet…” Magnus looks sad again, staring off into the distance. He sighs after a while, “I’m trying to be content; I’m really trying to put all life’s struggles and hurts into the right perspective, and in a way I’m alright with everything. I know I have you, and I have God living in me, but my heart still longs for a child, a son. It is hard to see Samuel and Miriam with so many children, and another one in the bassinet right now. That means that we can’t use the bassinet right now, and we will need to wait till their baby is walking round. Say we get our chance then, that means that it will still be a while before our child would be an adult, and we could move out. I really don’t want that last trait, not before we have a child…”

He looks sad, tired, and Esther feels for him. Magnus has been so desperate for a child, and although he has been more at peace about it since turning to the Sun of Righteousness, there are still moments of sadness, of course! She admits that she feels the same sadness; she too would love to have a baby in the Mortina bassinet; an heir, to carry on the Mortina Dynasty, as well as a child that welds them together, a part of both of them. Magnus looks at her and adds softly, “It’s not that I’m bitter about it, or angry. I just have this longing in my heart. These days I just pray about them, and lay them before the Lord. I loved that account you read to me the other day, about that king who had received letters, mocking him and God. I was struck by how he laid them out before the Lord and prayed over these letters that way. It just resonated with me, it was such a beautiful image, this king, bowing before God, with these hateful letters spread out before him. Some days I struggle to remain at peace though; some days I even wonder if there really is nothing I can do or say that will make God change His plan; Some days just seem so dark and sad…”

Esther hugs him, tears in her eyes. Yes, that reading had been wonderful, and encouraging too. “I know my love, I know, it is so hard to wait! Trusting God is hard sometimes, it’s hard in the valleys anyway, and I keep reminding me that He hasn’t promised us an easy journey, only a safe arrival… I cling to that. No, I don’t want the last trait either, for I’m still sure that God will give us a child. I’m trusting and waiting as best as I can, and I must admit that I try to enjoy your company as much as I can as well! These days are a gift too, and I love the time it affords us to be together!”

Magnus actually blushes a little, and his large grin turns into his hearty laugh. Esther actually feels the tears leaving her eyes, splashing onto her cheeks; that laugh! It was the very first thing she heard at that party, so long ago now! She laughs through her tears, and with a shaky voice says, “Do you remember that party at your house? Our meeting up party? Remember how I went into the house, sent in by Bjorn, to find you. I had no idea where to even start, and then I heard this wonderful laugh…and my heart just knew it was you!” They both laugh, and Magnus hugs, lifts and swings Esther, knowing it will make her shriek and beg him to set her down! He is not disappointed…

That evening, as they watch Miriam walk past the lounge with a little baby in her arm, something finally clicks in Magnus’ head. He spins round to face Esther and whispers excitedly, “I know what they are up to! I knew they had a plan! I knew it! Listen, look at their baby names, ok, first boy is…?”

Esther stares at him, like he’s lost his mind. Nevertheless, when he keeps looking at her expectantly, obviously onto some great idea, she says “It’s Albert.”

“Exactly! Next boy is Brandon, then they had little Camilla. After Camilla came Daniel. Can’t you see the pattern? A, B, C and D! They are working their way through the alphabet!” He sinks down on the sofa next to Esther, and suddenly he can’t stop laughing, he is literally rolling around on the sofa, holding his sides, laughing and groaning about a stitch in his side. When he finally is able to speak again, he says, very softly, looking over his shoulder like a conspirator, “Do you think they’re really planning to work their way through the entire alphabet?” And Magnus is off again, laughing, rolling, wriggling like an out of control snake, until he actually rolls of the sofa! That puts a stop to that, and Esther wipes her own laughter tears from her face. They both sink back into the sofa cushions, still gasping for breath, and giggles still making their way up from their stomachs. They look at each other, incredulously. “Surely they’re not aiming for twenty six children?”

Esther shakes her head, “No, I don’t think so, at least not anymore. I don’t know what their plan was originally, I wouldn’t put it past them, to be honest! Remember, the little boy after Daniel is called Tyson. I’m not sure what made them change. I know Miriam was really upset after Tyson was born. She blamed it on her makeup, said she was obviously allergic to the eyeshadow, it stung her eyes. I’m absolutely convinced she had been crying; I could tell she was struggling, laughing extra loud, talking to me in a voiced even more hyped up than usual. I’m sure something went wrong, for Samuel has actually been a lot more serious since then as well. Then this morning, “ Esther continues, although she has to swallow, as this morning’s memory is still fresh, the hurt and dejected feeling still raw. Magnus and Esther had also finished their jobs as quickly as they could, and still Miriam and Samuel had beaten them to the bassinet; it was still Samuel and Miriam’s child in the bassinet, not hers. “Well, this morning they had a little girl again, and they named her…” she gasps, looks at Magnus with large, round eyes! “Gracious, they named her Ursula!”

The giggles start again, but Magnus says, “At least….at least, ow my side hurts, at least they’re near the end of the alphabet! We might get our chance soon then, once they have a Zedekiah, or Zacharias or something!” Helplessly they cling to each other, laughing uncontrollably, knowing that their behaviour isn’t particularly mature, but somehow unable to stop it! Trust Miriam and Samuel to come up with a scheme like that! “Why on earth would they do that?” gasps Magnus in the end.

Esther sits up, wiping her eyes, “It’s the ‘Grave Injustice’ that Samuel is putting straight, I’m sure of it! He said he wanted to do something special, some grand scheme to make a difference. He talked about buying that huge building behind the Club, and round up all the ancient NPCs in town, and make them move in there, so new people can have their jobs… I’m pretty sure they have decided to send out as many young Mortinas as they can, to repopulate the town with young people, providing spouses to all sorts of desperate Sims!”

The more they talk about it, the more they are sure that Miriam and Samuel are doing exactly that! So why the sudden jump to T for Tyson? Magnus wonders if the SiMobile Government has named the baby. It doesn’t happen very often, but occasionally it does. A baby is given a name, the parents somehow don’t get to choose, and the name can’t be changed once it’ given! “Well, if they have Ursula, that means they are getting near the end of the list! Maybe we should ask them outright, you know, explain that as they still have five more letters to go, maybe we could have the bassinet first? They have six children already, they could easily take a break. I’m sure the best thing to do is to be straight with them. I don’t think they take hints very well…”

Magnus doesn’t sleep well that night, every time he wakes up a little he starts laughing again, stuffing the duvet cover into his mouth to stop his giggles from waking up Esther! They both manage to keep their faces straight though when talking to Miriam and Samuel. To their surprise, they both admit to the alphabet scheme! Magnus snorts, giggles no longer under control, and he quickly pretends to blow his nose, hoping they won’t suspect… Miriam and Samuel take it very well actually, and they apologise for claiming the bassinet all the time! They reach an agreement, as Miriam and Samuel are thinking seriously about accepting their last trait. They love the Annexe, and both have reached the end in their hobbies. Finding their jobs a lot less fun, and a lot more restrictive, they admit that retirement looks like the fun option! Magnus and Esther hardly dare to look at each other, hope mixing in with the giggles, wriggling, bubbling, looking for a chance to come out in new waves of helpless laughter.

The giggles win when Magnus and Esther are finally together in their room. They laugh and cry at the same time, feeling elated, on top of the world! Soon, quite soon, sooner than they dared to dream, they might be holding their baby!

Miriam felt so bad about their lack of sensitivity that she offers to throw them a party! Esther tries to look grateful and excited, but as it’s Miriam throwing the party, she just doesn’t know what sort of party they are talking about…. “A studio one, as it’s got some lovely art work, and we’ll make it a Cocktail Party, you know, nice posh frocks and all that! You’ll like that, and all your friends and family can come over in their finery; I might even dress proper like myself!” she had laughed her wild laugh, but she kept her word, and invites were sent out for a Cocktail Party. Magnus just hoped and prayed his family would make it this time! He hasn’t seen Bjorn for a while, or his sisters! They used to pop in very regularly when he first got married, but they haven’t done so lately. He really misses them, and he hardly dares to hope that this time they’ll make it in…

The day of the party arrives, and they all finish work early to put their glad rags on. Miriam finds a lovely shaped dress, bright red, complementing her black hair an bright blue eyes. She is obviously very excited, and leans over to Esther to say in a loud whisper that can be heard in at least two rooms, “Lucille said she might be able to come. You know, she’s just told me she is going to retire after the next Gems? Well, that really settled it for me, so I talked to Samuel about it. Lucille is my best friend, we do so much together! I can’t imagine life in SiMobile without her to laugh and hang out with! Who would I go to with stuff, you know, or have a good laugh? It’s just going to be so dull; no, I’m going to accept my trait after the party. Samuel said he didn’t mind, as he feels he’s done his bit for the Dynasty and that Justice thing; you know, the Challenge that he had taken on for that ancestor guy. So there we are, might be our last party, so I better make it a good one!” She laughs, and walks off in her bright coloured shoes, red dress visible even when you switch the light off, thinks Esther, rolling her eyes. What a bit of news though, I can’t imagine them working their way to Z, so who knows how soon Magnus and I can use the bassinet… She never knows whether it was the news or the cocktails that made the party a success!

A success it is though, as Magnus’ cousin Bjorn arrives, smiling, clapping him on the back as usual. They chat a lot, Magnus louder than usual, his loud laugh setting off other guests as well. He is thrilled when his sisters arrive, hugging them, and chatting with them, telling his llama in a bar jokes… They’re pleased to see him too, and in a rare quiet moment Magnus manages to confide in his sisters, telling them that the bassinet will soon by filled with a tiny Viking! Runa and Freya are so pleased for him, as they didn’t want to ask. They’re glad he told them though! Miriam can be heard welcoming Lucille, and those two are soon heard everywhere, stirring up fun wherever they go! They certainly don’t need the cocktails to enjoy the party, thinks Esther, looking around her home, looking at the beautiful dresses, but mainly looking at her friends. Friends who made a lot of effort to come, to be there for them, to brighten up the party with their presence, making her feel overwhelmingly grateful, her face sore from smiling and chatting. She goes from friend to friend, but never seems to manage to meet everyone present! Even when the party gets shut down, as they invariably do, the beautiful memories are there. Magnus hugs her tighter than ever that night, and whispers, “I know the sun is still there, even when you can’t see the sun. How much better to actually feel the sun, and experience the warmth and revel in its healing rays… It’s also true for the Sun you told me about, and He is shining His face on us right now, and nothing in life compares to His smiling countenance! I can feel His healing touch in my heart, bringing joy and peace and happiness…”