Chapter 6: You Only Live TwiceSteward had known when he woke up that morning that it was going to be a bad day. Of course, he quite often woke up feeling like that. This time, though, he was right. He’d gone out looking for a peaceful place to read his book – one with no children around. If he had his way, they’d all go to school seven days a week, instead of running around at weekends making a noise and disturbing people. When it started to get dark, he thought it was just cloud but then it got too dark to read and he looked up – just in time to see the meteor rushing down on him.
Typical, he thought, just before he stopped thinking anything at all.
When he was next aware of his surroundings, he was in the cemetery. He was dead, then. At least it was quiet – and mostly free of children. There was Wilhelmina, the child ghost, but she was a quiet little thing – and mostly fainted when she saw Steward, anyway. He could almost get to like that. The adult ghosts were a pleasant enough bunch, although they rarely all came out at the same time. Occasional living Sims would visit at night, but they were mostly anglers in pursuit of deathfish. Then one of them started talking to him. She said her name was Victoria and she was part-ghost herself. Despite this delusion, she was reasonably good company.
The next time he emerged from his grave, she introduced her sister Christabel – who was a
ghost. Clearly Victoria's mad story had some basis, after all. Christa was a charming young lady, if a little over-eager when it came to romance. It was no great surprise to find himself in her house the next time he awoke, although placing his urn in her bedroom seemed rather forward.
He wished the wretched woman would let him have a bath in peace, though. After so many years without one, it was pleasant to relax in hot water. She kept using some strange device on him instead. It removed the dirt efficiently enough but it just wasn’t the same as a proper bath. And then he’d have liked a nap on a comfortable bed. The house seemed to have plenty. Instead, she kept trying to
kiss him – and clearly wanted more than that. Young hussy.
But then he woke to find himself outside an unfamiliar building with Christa – and it was evening, not the early hours of the morning. She explained that he had been returned to partial life by the scientists who worked there. They had done the same for her father, apparently. Now he could carry on with the life that the meteor had interrupted, even though he was still essentially a ghost.
His revival, if you could call it that, seemed to have had a good effect on Christa, too. She was prepared to settle for a dignified courtship now, and seemed much more like the delightful person he had thought her at first. When she asked him to marry her, he was happy to accept.
Her mad mother was the only real drawback. The old bat was remarkably well-preserved physically but she was clearly losing her marbles – assuming she’d had any in the first place. She offered him a potion of her own devising, one that she said would make him young again, but he refused. Even assuming the stuff actually worked and didn’t make him as crazy as she was, why would he want to be a callow young man again?
Then, one day soon after their wedding, Christa told him she was pregnant. Didn’t she know he hated children? He’d thought it was only overindulgence in her sister’s excellent cooking that was making her put on weight. And then she had
triplets. Three babies in the house! How was he ever going to get a decent night’s rest?
Chris wasn’t too surprised to have to give birth with no husbandly support. In fact, Steward didn’t even wake up.
Mamma had told her she could feel two heads, so she wasn’t alarmed when the contractions continued and Henry was followed by William.
Edmund was an unexpected bonus, though.
As they grew older, it became apparent that they weren’t the cutest toddlers in the history of the world…
(Henry)
(William)
(Edmund)
…which didn’t stop their grandmother, mother and aunt from doting on them.
Surprisingly, for a man who claimed to dislike children, Steward seemed quite fond of William – perhaps because he was the one who resembled his father most obviously.
During his sons’ childhood, Steward reached his elder birthday and Vicky made him a very special meal.
He asked why Christa and the boys couldn’t have some of this wonderful food too but apparently there were 'reasons'. Something about a family curse. Honestly, sometimes he wondered if they were all as potty as his mother-in-law.
Still, his sons were developing well. They were clearly showing the good influence of their father’s genes. Well, two of them were: Henry and Edmund grew up brilliant, hardworking and inseparable.
William was very much the odd one out. He'd inherited his mother’s love of ballet…
…although he was rather fonder of Auntie Vicky’s cooking than was strictly desirable for an aspiring principal dancer.
He was given to playing noisy games, too – usually when Steward was trying to work.
Their friendship began to deteriorate. It was becoming clear that young William had a temper – and, once teenage hormones were added, they often ended up yelling at each other. At least he’d stopped all that prancing around – he now seemed to be keener on making music than dancing to it. It was still infuriatingly noisy, though. Why couldn’t they make silent guitars? He could have a proper one when he could play some decent tunes.
Will was developing other interests, too. He’d met Doris Tisdale on his very first day at school and their friendship was now taking on romantic overtones.
By the end of the school prom, they were boyfriend and girlfriend.
Hal and Ed hadn’t discovered girls yet. They spent most of their spare time playing chess or reading.
Still, it paid off academically. They kept being moved up to more senior classes and graduated from high school some time before Will. They moved into the house next door, where there was no guitar practice to distract them from their studies, but they could still stay in touch with the family.
With the boys growing up, Chris decided it was time to think about her own life again – and to have another shot at sports stardom. Following in Ana's footsteps, she applied for a new job.
Steward was getting older, although he refused to slow down or retire. He lived just long enough to see Will graduate as valedictorian. That evening, he was out in the garden when Grim came for him again.
Chris placed his urn in the family mausoleum, next to her gem collection. She knew she’d see him again soon, just like Papa and Cecily.
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