Mission Highly Unlikely: Mission Complete

[SadieHamming]

I really like this line:
'Rocks that grow?  Was this another one of Mary Fairy's strange notions, like her quest for non-melting ice?  I listened skeptically.'
Rocks that grow, non melting ice and solid air!
I can't wait for the next update!

[donatello]

The end must be nigh, for madness runneth amuck! Hahaha! Amuck-amuck-amuck-amuck-amuck!

[Louise56]

I can't wait for the rest of Mary's story, she is so lovely.

[Schipperke]

Mary's Story, Part II

Diary Entry

I asked Mary what old Payneful had on her to pressure her into coming here.  To my astonishment, she burst out laughing.



"Is that what you thought?  You really believed Mr Payne pressured me to come here?" She collapsed in a fit of laughter.  When she was finally able to catch her breath and speak again, she said, "Mr Payne didn't pressure me to come.  In fact, he tried to talk me out of it.  He thought it was too dangerous for me.  I was the one who insisted he allow me to be part of this important mission."

It was beginning to look as if I'd need to put through that call to Dr Simgund sooner rather than later.  No sane person could possibly choose to come to Sundown Town and put themselves at risk, and I said so.

"Let me tell you about myself," said Mary.  "I lived in a pleasant little town.  My house was tiny but adequate.  I had very little money but it was enough to live on.  I had a special friend, a white unicorn, and we spent many happy hours playing together."





She went on, "My life was idyllic, and I should have been happy.  Well, I was happy at first.  But then I started noticing how much more my neighbours had than I did - bigger houses, expensive cars, new and better furnishings, trips abroad.  I became envious of their good fortune and I wanted those things for myself.  But I had no skills except my ability to mix potions and no real friends other than the unicorn.  There seemed no way for me to ever better myself (for that was how I saw it, as if material possessions would somehow make me better).

"One day I received a telephone call asking me to collect insects and deliver them.  The voice on the telephone promised that if I did this and some other things that would be asked of me, I would gain access to riches beyond the dreams of avarice.  Gold!"



I sat rapt as Mary continued, "Drawn irresistibly by the lure of money, I did as I was instructed.  I delivered the insects.  Then I had to find certain unusual plants.  The final demand was for gems.  I did everything they asked.  And I received, as my reward, a magical item called a philosopher's stone.  This stone had an enchantment on it so that it was able to transform base objects into gold.  I was elated!  Soon great wealth and possessions would be mine!  I went to the automobile dealership and picked out the expensive car that I would soon be able to afford. 



"Next I went to the grocery store and bought bags of cheap rubber duckies, my mind full of dreams of the wonderful things I would buy with all the gold I would soon have.  I rushed home, unpacked my magical stone, and quivering with excitement, I set to work.



"I put one of my rubber ducks on the stone and spoke the magic words.  I could feel power surging through me.  Then terror gripped me as I felt my extremities - my feet and legs - going numb and stiff.  The stiffness quickly spread throughout my whole body as I realized that I myself was turning into gold!  The very blood in my veins was solidifying.  I felt cold, so very cold.  I couldn't move and was powerless to stop the forces I had unleashed.





"Then the Grim Reaper arrived, and I knew that Death had come for me."



I was spellbound, as unable to move as poor Mary had been, as she said bitterly, "For the sake of material wealth, I had given up my life.  How could I have been so greedy and foolish?  I wanted to cry out to Grim to give me another chance, but my vocal cords were as hard and useless to me as the rest of my body.  My spirit freed itself from its golden tomb and I huddled helplessly in a foetal position and waited for Grim to gather my spirit."



I could contain myself no longer and burst out, "You died?  But how is it that you are here now?  You're not a ghost - are you?"

"No," she replied.  "I'm no ghost.  As my spirit was huddled on the floor, trying to grasp the reality of what had happened, the door of the house opened.  I was unable to turn around to see who had entered, but by some miracle I was able to hear when a man's voice, a stranger's voice, said sharply, 'What's this?  Look here, my old friend, you're being a bit premature!  It's not her time yet, you know.'  I heard Grim's deep, sepulchral tones rumbling but couldn't make out what he said.  Then the other voice said firmly, 'No.  You cannot have her yet.  She hasn't completed what she needs to do in this life.  She has important work ahead of her.  You know I don't usually interfere in your job, but this time I must insist.  Go now, and leave her to me.'  There was a kind of whooshing sound which I think was Grim leaving."

Mary continued, "Suddenly my spirit was no longer huddled on the floor but back in my body.  I felt life and warmth rushing back into my body again.  When I was able to move, I turned around to learn the identity of my rescuer.  Who was this brave man who had stood up to Grim and wrested me from the cold arms of Death?

"As you may have guessed, it was Mr Payne."



I sat speechless.  Who was this Mr Payne?  And what was he, that he had such power over Death?

Mary concluded by saying, "Mr Payne told me that my life had a higher purpose than to spend it in pursuit of material things.  He said I must find what that purpose was.  When I heard of this mission, I knew this was where I needed to be. 

"My own greed almost destroyed me.  If not for Mr Payne's timely arrival, that would have been the end of my sad little life.  Now I have a chance to redeem myself.  I need to prove that I am worthy of the second chance I've been given.  Oh, not to Mr Payne - he insists that I don't have to prove myself to him.  But I need to prove to myself that I am capable of being more than that empty-headed little fool who risked her life chasing after dreams of riches.



"So you see, that's why I do not fear the Evil ones.  There is nothing they can do to me that is worse than what I did to myself."

Mary's story had touched me deeply.  I was still trying to take it all in when there was a knock on the door.

[saltpastillen]

Mr Payne is a god!

[donatello]

Mr Payne used to be cool. NOW he's just creepy...

[Magz from Oz]

Mr Payne used to be cool. NOW he's just creepy...

No no no... Mr Payne rocks!

[RainBeau]

The adventure continues! So so cool, I love this Schip!

[cndneh]

Who wants to bet its Simler at the door?

[Louise56]

Mr Payne is not creepy! He is amazing, even Grim listen to him.
Mary's story was awesome, I always wonder what happen when a sim turn to gold.
I wonder who is at the door?

[Schipperke]

Fire!

Diary Entry

Our visitor was young Oliver Twist, who lived down the street with an Evil old man named Fagin. 



I didn't know much about that household as they didn't encourage visitors.  They lived in a house with a locked gate and never allowed visitors to enter.*



But I had seen another young fellow around town calling himself The Artful Dodger who apparently lived with Fagin and Oliver.  I wasn't sure how many other children there might be hidden behind that gate.  It was rumoured that Fagin was training the children in criminal ways.

But Oliver was quite a cheerful, friendly young fellow.  It was no fault of his that his guardian was evil and antisocial.  I decided if the Good Sims were in no hurry to return to Sundown Town, there would be no harm in giving one of my self-cleansing showers to young Oliver, with strict instructions that he not let Fagin know of the gift.  His joy at receiving the shower was touching.



In return he shared secrets he had picked up in the course of his travels around town.  He told me that William had indeed returned to his own dimension (wherever that might be) because he didn't trust his subjects to be left on their own too long.



I was glad to hear this news.  If William was busy elsewhere, that was one less evildoer to worry about in Sundown Town. 

As Oliver and I had been chatting, Mary Fairy was warming her hands at the fireplace.  Suddenly the cozy little fire turned into a conflagration.





Oliver and I began to panic!  As would any sensible Sim.  But Mary Fairy calmly pulled out a fire extinguisher.  With a withering glance at Oliver and me, she proceeded to douse the flames before the fire truck could arrive.





Diary Entry Ends

Yes, Mary put out the fire single-handed.  What Nameless neglected to mention in his diary entry is that I first told him to put it out.  He promptly dropped the action from his queue and returned to full-blown panic mode.  By contrast, the minute I told Mary to extinguish the fire, she set right to work.  Which perhaps says something about these two characters.

However, to his credit, Nameless immediately popped a wish to upgrade the fireplace to be fireproof and set to work on it even as the fireman was delivering a pompous lecture about being more careful.



Nameless also received an irresistible urge - one might even call it a compulsion - to spend a large number of his happiness points on the "fireproof homestead" LTR.

* It apparently isn't possible to get into that house.  I assume this is because it's placed on a slope and the gate is right against the sidewalk.  I didn't notice when I placed the house, and since I never played that household, I didn't realize the problem until I sent Nameless over to visit.  So how do the residents get in and out?  One of the mysteries of Sims, I guess. 

Who wants to bet its Simler at the door?

Not yet.  But Simler will be making a reappearance in the story very soon. 

[Louise56]

Mary to the resue! Young kids can still become good sims. There is hope for Sundown town!

[sdhoey]

Mary has that look I always give my husband, "men, can't do anything" lol

[donatello]

Mary is such a show-off... Lol.

[MarianT]

Your Oliver Twist looks perfect! What an intriguing cast of characters -- I can't wait to see who shows up next.