So Sticky, Especially After Tea
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After the wedding, I took off for Selvadorada. Gunther stayed home to work on his screenplay. He based it on my first adventure -- Michigan Smith and the Crocodile Pool. I must admit that I do love Selvadorada and the waterfall especially. This time I took my good camera with me and was able to get a better shot.
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The Watcher took a couple of pictures of the Royal Baths for me. I just wasn't able to get high enough for a good vantage point.
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I took this picture of the Royal Garden myself though.
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Back at the villa that night, I called Gunther to tell him how much I missed him. "Great news!" he told me. "NetSim picked up Michigan Smith, and they want another one right away."
"That is great news," I said, "but I don't think this trip will supply you with more plot material. I couldn't even find a temple, let alone any treasure. Do you want me to extend my stay?"
"No," said Gunther. "Definitely not. I miss you."
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We were both very glad to see each other again, so it wasn't too surprising that the next morning, I found myself thinking of baby bottles. A brief test confirmed my suspicion.
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When I told Gunther, he immediately began to fix himself a drink. "I thought you liked children?" I said.
"I do," he assured me. "Well, larger children. The small ones tend to be sticky, especially after they've had their tea."
"That's only a problem if you give them jam," I told him.
"Anyway, it's great that we're having a baby, but it does mean that we'll need a bigger house. And kid stuff. I want our little girl to have everything."
"What makes you think it'll be a girl?" I asked.
"You've been eating strawberries," said Gunther.
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Sure enough, I had a girl. Here's Marianne Munch Austen.
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And here she is with her proud papa.
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I have to admit that Gunther was right about the stickiness. Except that it's after any meal, not just tea. If I ever have the money to buy stocks, I'll invest in a baby wipes company.
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Every type of food seems to adhere to Marianne's skin, even lettuce. But she enjoys eating "big girl" food with Gunther, so I'm not going to complain.
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My original plan was to make a trip to Selvadorada while Marianne was still a baby, but she was more precocious than I realized. So I rented a larger villa for the whole family.
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And here are Gunther and my little explorer. "Aren't you hot with that scarf and jacket?" I asked.
"Yes," he said, "but it's a barrier for the bees. We should have put Marianne in something with long sleeves."
"Hot, dada!" said Marianne.
"Maybe I'd better take her back home," said Gunther. "Besides bees, there's spiders, plasma bats, lightning bugs, and fireflies."
I acquiesced sadly.
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Later on, while I was at my first dig site, I added bandits and soldiers searching for them to our list of potential dangers. Selvadorada just was not a toddler-friendly environment.
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This time my exploration led me to a downed plane. I wondered if this was what the helicopter had been looking for, but soon realized from the moss that the crash had occurred a long time ago.
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I soon found a temple and made quick work of its barriers.
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Maybe I was a little too hasty. It was late afternoon when I made an offering to the tree spirits, full dark when I returned to my senses. I resolved not to tell Gunther that I had passed out. I found some treasure and returned to the villa.
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To my surprise, Gunther was there to greet me. "I took Marianne home and left her with a sitter," he told me. "Would you believe that you can't get a potty chair or high chair in the market? I don't know how the Selvadoradians manage with their own children."
"That's okay," I said. "I found a plate that looks like it's made of solid gold. It should be worth 9 or 10 thousand. Once I've authenticated a few artifacts, I think I'll be able to cease exploring for a while."
"If that's what you want," said Gunther.
"It is," I assured him. "From now on, Michigan Smith will have to be a homebody. Your next screenplay could be Michigan Smith and the Sticky-Fingered Toddler."
"Followed by Michigan Smith and the Teenager from Hell."
"You forgot Michigan Smith and the Voidcritter Destroyer."
Selvadorada might be beautiful, but there's no place like home.
Until next time, Elinor
