Grim’s Little Helpers“Christabel, William, Tina-Patricia, Joseph, Macy, Louisa, Tavares, Madeleine and Quinton… it is time. Please come with me.”
“Oh, for graveyards’ sake! What are you all looking so worried about? I didn’t mean that your lives are over, simply that I need your help and there’s not much time left. Emily, I’ll ask Deirdra to collect you and Marabel at a later date. As for the rest of you, come on! We have a lot to do.”
“Welcome to my home. Since this place seems to disconcert humans for some reason, I’ve built you somewhere to stay while you’re here. This way…
“…And here we are – a little plain but perfectly functional. Now, you’re probably wondering why I need your help. As you may have guessed, it involves your descendants. They are reaching the end of the tasks I set them and I promised Sophia and Samuel that they and their heirs would be revived once that was achieved. I had originally planned to have everyone resurrected by genies but, as you may have noticed, there appear to be bugs in the process. Those members of your family who revived ghosts as potential spouses all ran into relationship difficulties as a result. It may even have contributed to the breakdown of Philip and Ruth’s marriage, although I suspect that it was doomed whatever happened. That Ruth was a nasty piece of work.
“I have a team of genie scientists looking into the problem and they have concluded that the fault lies in the second stage of the resurrection process, the transformation from living ghost to solid human. Therefore, unless they isolate the exact problem in the very near future, I feel it safer to complete the process using Ambrosia. That is why you are here: between you, you possess all of the necessary skills to make the large quantities of Ambrosia that will be needed, as well as Young Again potions for everyone.
“But now, if you will all excuse me, I’m behind schedule: things to do, people to see, souls to reap. You know how it is.”
And he was gone.
“Typical! Well, I suppose it’s up to me to show you around now. Come in, everyone. I think you’ll like the facilities.”
“This is where the genies work.
“We’re not allowed in. The genie scientists say it’s dangerous for living humans even to enter the room. Personally, I think they’re just protecting trade secrets. Not that I’m prepared to risk going in there…
“And this is the potions lab. We should have everything you need here. We built the place without windows because, well, you've seen the local scenery, but we can put some in if you'd like – and if you want anything else, just ask.
“Ground-floor bathroom. Latest all-in-one plumbing from Isla Paradiso and right next to the lab and workshop, in case of accidents. The boss doesn’t want to be called in professionally.
“Storeroom. Empty… or not. Time machines? I wonder what he wants those for?
“Through here is the workshop. I thought this was just for fun but perhaps not, given the time machines.
“Anyway, if you want to learn new skills while you’re here, we're pretty well set up. There’s a gym and pool in the basement, a huge library, a music room… Every skill-building object we could think of, really. Well, apart from telescopes. There wouldn’t be much point here. And we also have a roomful of brain-enhancing machines if you want to do it the easy way.
“This is the kitchen. Grim wanted to make it an Ambrosia factory, pure and simple, but I pointed out that humans do need to eat and we’d rather have a varied diet. So we now have a fair old stock of ingredients and everything we need to cook them.
“And here we have the human-type science lab. Tina-Patricia, I know you love gardening. If anyone can persuade life plants to grow indoors, you can. We’ve not been doing very well with them so far.
“The pond is stocked with death fish and we plan to breed more in the tanks.
“And finally, we were hoping some of you might want to learn the science skill. Cloning would be another way to increase our stocks of both fish and plants.
“But I think that’s enough for now. It’s been a long day. I’ll show you your rooms and we can tour the rest of the place after you’ve slept…”
Grim hadn’t begun his preparations any too soon. Over in Starlight Shores, Ellie and Louis returned home from the beach and retired to their room.
Shortly afterwards, Ellie was craving cheesy snacks at all hours and moaning about getting fat, although Louis made it quite clear that he still found her irresistible.
When the labour pains started, Ellie was alone in the house. Louis was at work and the rest of the family were outside in the garden. She briefly considered going to hospital but felt that it was only right for the final heir to be born in the family home. Between contractions, she waddled into her old room. It was comforting to be surrounded by her beloved childhood friends. Besides, she could rely on Beauty, Rocky and Bobo not to tell the paparazzi about any unladylike language.
She groaned, pushed and panted – and finally her daughter was born.
Next chapter
Summary – Generation 15Heir: Eleanor
Traits: Virtuoso, Loves the Outdoors, Ambitious, Charismatic, Natural Born Performer
Lifetime wish: Vocal Legend
Unique maxed career: Singer
Two unique best friends: Jeffrey Oakley, Teri Dupree*
Three unique skill challenges: Amateur Rock Finder, Awesomest Rock Collector in the Universe, Master Guitarist
Four unique opportunities: Networking is Key, Celebrity Body, Attend Master Class, Kumbaya
Buildings bought this generation: The Binder Clips Centre, Serenity Bookstore & Spa
Newly-upgraded properties: Landgraab Sell’n’Swap, Buckshot Lake, Rodeo Go-Go, Brotherhood of Fine Fellows Hall, Community Library
Vacations used: 2 out of 4
*Both of Ellie's best friends were proprietors (although only one of them was from the coffeehouse
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