The Grecian Immortal Dynasty - GRAVEYARD PLEASE

[wanderingriti]

Hello, everyone! I'm wanderingriti. This is my first time ever posting ANYTHING on any forum, so if I do anything wrong, please forgive me! *bows head apologetically in advance* I hope you folks like the story! *deep breath* Here goes nothing...

Introduction: Life and Death
It's been fourteen years since I last felt happy.

I remember that particular day as though the years between then and now never happened. The sky was a clear, fresh blue, like a brand-new sheet pulled taut over the clouds. The lake in front of the house was cool and shimmering, diamonds of sunlight chasing their way across the surface.

"Di!" my mother called to my six-year-old self. I'd been running through the luscious green grass around the lake, turning cartwheels. She beckoned to me and I thought she was going to ask me to help pack, but as I sidled over reluctantly, she handed me a cookie and a glass of freshly-squeezed lemonade. We sat on the ledge of the trunk and grinned and ate our snack. She made a joke. I laughed.

That day was the day my father looked back at me from the driver's seat while we were driving home through the mountains. That day was the day someone had had too much to drink for the Fourth of July the night before and, hungover, had sent both cars careening off the edge of the mountain. The EMTs told me my parents had died on impact, which means, sweetie, that they were already gone when the car hit the ground. You're lucky that you survived, honey. Don't worry, dear, we'll take care of you.

Lies, lies, lies. I was shipped off to an orphanage where there were too few adults and too many kids for the adults to care. There were no bodies, no coffins buried at the funeral. And I was never happy again.

I've had to pull myself out of depression too many times for me to count. Strangely enough, though, I've found that the trick is to think about life and not death. How I've still got a life ahead of me, how my parents wouldn't want me to waste it.

So I've decided. I've wasted too much time in misery. I don't want to think about death ever again. I am going to be immortal.




Chapter 1: Love in "Paradise"
I'm Aphrodite Athens, and I am never going to be unhappy again.

It's a lofty goal, I know, but hey—why dream if you're not going to dream big? This time, I've decided that I'm going to go all out, which is why I moved to Isla Paradiso, literally "Paradise Island." How could anyone be unhappy in a place like that?

Following my "all-out" theme, I bought the biggest lot of land on the islands. Money doesn't buy happiness, but a lot of it usually doesn't hurt. It's really only a problem when there isn't enough, so I guess I'm in trouble, standing on my lot with §1,800 to my name. Not enough to buy a room, let alone a house. So I call a taxi and decide to drive around town.


I end up at the front door of a very well-decorated mansion. Throwing caution to the winds, I ring the doorbell, moving away and not expecting an answer. But an answer does come, and I'm very pleased with him.


We chat for a while, and then I realize: Doug Rodel is flirting with me. Caught off-guard, I respond. We're both laughing at something he said and the space closes between us. I catch his shoulder, pull him close.


I invite him over. He drives us, not commenting once on the bare lot that is my "home." A soft smile is on his face and he looks down at me with unconditional tenderness in his eyes. In spite of my reluctance to open up to others, my heart skips a beat and there are butterflies in my stomach. Something comes over me, and in a second I'm on one knee with a velvet box in my hands.


Amazingly, Doug says yes. We are married on the spot. It all seems incredibly sudden, but I can't help but feel that something is going right for the first time since that day when I was six years old.

[CeresIn]

It's an interesting start, but your pictures don't show up.  I think you're copying the wrong link (that happened to me at first). If you have any questions you can send me a private message if you want.

[Joria]

WOW!  I don't even care if there are pictures.  Your story line, accomplished writing skills and the general concept are fabulous.  It's going to be hard to wait and read what will happen next. 

[wanderingriti]

Chapter 2: Starting Afresh
I have always taken comfort in new beginnings. New school, new home, opportunities to forget the past and become the person you want to be. I suppose it's ironic, my proclivity for new beginnings—because we were always being moved around, most of the other orphanage kids yearned for stability. But beginnings help me forget.

My marriage to Doug is just like a new beginning. And for what may be the first time in my life, this change feels completely right, absolutely perfect. We had our house built, nice, fresh, new. It's quite big but rather empty, as we kind of ran out of cash after the initial decorating and buying suitable essentials. But it's nice enough, and Doug is an absolute sweetheart and never complains.



Doug cooks most of the time, mostly because I'm a lousy cook (I'm trying to improve, I swear!). He's also somewhat OCD and is unreasonably irritated by the first signs of dirt, so he's always cleaning up, too. I suppose our little family is all about rejecting gender roles so far…not that I'm complaining! I've taken up painting, because it helps me stay distracted. People also have said that I'm Artistic, so perhaps I'll be able to make a little money on the side.



Wonderfully enough, the school calls me up and asks me to teach an art class for a little. I gain some art skills of my own, and better yet, earn some simoleons.


But that isn't the odd part. As I walk through the deserted hallway of the school to make my way out, a woman stops me. Her eyes are glazed over, as though she's sleepwalking or somehow unconscious of what she's doing. But then she starts talking.


A league and a score,
A century or more,
She will lie underneath
The deep blue, awaiting you.

The weird, discordant poem sends a prickle crawling up my spine. For a few seconds, my vision goes black. The next thing I know, I'm sitting in a taxi on my way home. I don't even remember hailing the cab, but shaken as I am, I just go with it. Doug sees me and comforts me, but I just want to forget. So he helps me.


We fall asleep then, but the ominous strains of the poem float between my ears as I drift off to sleep.

[Magpie2012]

Oooo this is brilliant! Can't wait for more!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9720 using Tapatalk

[wanderingriti]

It's an interesting start, but your pictures don't show up.  I think you're copying the wrong link (that happened to me at first). If you have any questions you can send me a private message if you want.

Thanks for the offer of help! I think I've got it though...I hope!

WOW!  I don't even care if there are pictures.  Your story line, accomplished writing skills and the general concept are fabulous.  It's going to be hard to wait and read what will happen next. 

THAAANK YOU! I read this and nearly burst into tears of joy! *falls over in happiness* I shall try my best to make it an interesting plotline for the adventure-lovers!

Oooo this is brilliant! Can't wait for more!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9720 using Tapatalk

Wow, thank you! *squee* I can't wait to write more either!

[Malley]

Great start! Glad to see your photos are working now too. Athena is gorgeous. The house is very pretty, even if it is empty due to a lack of funds . Can't wait to see some nooboos!

[OldRiverBear]

 Your writing style is amazing, far more mature then mine's will ever be, and your founder is beautiful. I also like the backstory you gave her, it's nice to give your would-be immortals a reason to live forever.

[wanderingriti]

Oh no! I'm so sorry I haven't been posting recently! School started and I just haven't had time to play or write or, well, do anything fun, for that matter In any case, here's the next chapter of the Athens' story. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: A Little Piece of Heaven

For the first time since my parents' accident, I feel content. Happiness can come and go; that's why I've always been afraid to invest too much of myself in fleeting joys. But the happiness I find with Doug, that I find in the life we're living together, has become a state of being.

A home is much more than four walls and a ceiling—it's security, peace of mind. I actually find time to be productive, now that I don't have to fight to fill my stomach or find a place to sleep. The library is one of my favorite places to go, with its quiet atmosphere and the smell of books, pages and pages of knowledge waiting to be discovered, pervading every corner of the building.

I'm reading up on cooking one day when my stomach starts to churn.



Clutching my stomach, I make it to the bathroom—and just in time. Irked, I take a taxi home. I hate getting sick. There are much better things to do with my time than lying in bed.

Interestingly, though, I feel fine once I get home. Then it hits me.



I'm pregnant.

Doug is overjoyed when I tell him. I can barely comprehend the wonderful feeling bubbling up within me as I realize the meaning of those words. I am going to be a mother. I am going to have a child of my own. I keep repeating the ideas in my head, trying to make sense of them.

As for Doug...well, there really aren't many people like him out there, and I can hardly believe how lucky I am to have married him. He does whatever he can to make my days as perfect as possible.



The pain hits me suddenly. It's excruciating, but the single thought presiding in my mind is that my child is coming, I am bringing a life into this world, please don't let me mess this up.



The name comes to me and Doug agrees, tears sparkling in his eyes as he looks down at our little piece of heaven: Demeter.

[Trip]

Welcome back and congrats on an heir!

[wanderingriti]

Unfortunately, I have failed this dynasty!  Demeter aged up before Doug could paint a portrait of her...so I guess this is the end! 

Thank you to everyone who read this terribly short-lived story—your comments and support made me feel all fuzzy inside 

Hopefully I will be back sometime...and I won't forget requirements next time!

[Trip]

I've been there. Stinks, huh?

I'm moving this to the Graveyard at the author's request. The author can revive it at any time by contacting a moderator.