When Disaster Strikes -- Restoring Similization

[MarianT]

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – Chicory

   Yippee! I cannot believe how lucky I am. A couple of months ago, I went to view some pictures that were being exhibited at the business office. They were okay, but I thought I could do better and said so. It turned out that the person I was talking to was the one in charge of the exhibition (oh, the embarrassment!). A week or so after that, he called and said they needed some more pictures, so if I had any to contribute, I’d get paid for them.

   Needless to say, my fantasy novel went on hold, while I painted and painted. I just delivered them, and they paid me over 20,000 simoleons! Better yet, this was enough to make it possible for Mom to have some more expensive furniture shipped from Sunset Valley. We got new kitchen appliances, and a new and improved shower.



   We all have new and more comfortable beds.



   But best of all, I have my very own computer. (Well, other people can use it, too, but I’ll be using it the most for writing my novels.)


   Meanwhile, Marina and Cyan have been growing like weeds. Just last week, Marina was pretending to have pillow fights with her imaginary friend.



        And it seems like only yesterday that I was reading to Cyan in the library.




        Cyan is quite the demure young lady now. You wouldn’t think it to look at her, but she plans to go into the military like great-aunt Azura.



   Marina, on the other hand, thinks she can have a career in professional sports, now that we have contact with Sunset Valley and Riverview.



   Royal is a rising star in politics. He put all his clout into getting a grant for the Science Center to find a way to “scrub” the ground so that people can build on it again without inhaling toxic fumes. He says that would eventually make it possible for people to grow gardens and maybe even go fishing. He wants me to write something that would encourage the scientists, but I think it would be better to raise awareness of the plight of the elderly. Dad has just been moping around the house since he had to quit his job.

[MarianT]

CHAPTER FOURTEEN – Chicory

   Mom became an elder not long ago.



        She seems to be in worse shape than Dad. She’s really lost interest in just about everything. She’ll make macaroni and cheese once in a while, but I honestly think the ghosts cook more often than she does. Fortunately for us, Marina and Cyan are anxious to develop their skills as cook and repairwoman.



   I’ve had to develop a few skills myself. I thought Dad might repair the shower, but he decided to mop up instead. That’s okay, but he didn’t seem to realize that the shower would just keep producing puddles until somebody fixed it.



   Dad also seems a little confused about who he’s married to. We’ve caught him flirting with Kenyatta a few times. Kenyatta humors him by flirting back, but it makes all of us feel uncomfortable.



   I wish I could do something for our elders, but Royal has persuaded me to help with his project. We’ve agreed that one of us will concentrate on getting the scientists to heal the land, and the other will encourage a few people in town to form a construction crew.
 
   I tried flirting with one of the contractors who was pretty cute in a Yul Brynner kind of way, but our relationship went nowhere.



   Anyway, Royal and I have agreed that we definitely need a larger house. It’s cute when you see your great-grandparents taking a nap together.



   But it’s not so cute when you realize that your parents don’t have anywhere to sleep. Denim, Emerald, and Sapphire don’t spend any time in their graves any more, and that makes for very crowded conditions. They may serve to "swell a scene" or two, like at Cyan's birthday, but they also sit on the couch and at the table, eat food (and rarely wash dishes), take showers, and play on the computer.



   It’s been hard on Marina especially. She invited a possible boyfriend over the other evening, and there was so much traffic on the stairs that he left before she could even say hello to him. She consoled herself as best she could, but you could tell she was suffering.



   The problem is there just don’t seem to be many boys in high school. Both she and Cyan have been working on making friends, but the only other boy they know is a vampire. Scotty seems nice, although he does dislike children. Still, that can change.

   After all, Kenyatta has been working on her kleptomania. I’ve been donating money to Kleptos Anonymous, and giving her their brochures and stuff to read. Twice she’s come home with something from work – an alarm clock and a toolbox, neither of which she needs or even wants. We were all afraid she might get fired, but we had a surprise last night. She became an elder! We all thought she was about the same age as Royal because they met at school. Apparently there’s some disease in town that causes some people to grow older more quickly.



   Royal is governor now, and we’re all very proud of him. Twinbrook might be a small pond, but he’s certainly one of its biggest fish. He had a birthday, too, recently, but he’s happy enough not to have a mid-life crisis.



   As for me, I just keep writing and painting. I received an award from the Chun-Monroe Visual Arts group the other day. The novels aren’t quite as much fun, but they do provide a steady income – I received nearly $1000 in royalties from the last one, The Edge of the World. I’m terribly dependent on the computer, however. If I didn’t have Cyan and her trusty screwdriver around, I don’t know what I’d do.

[MarianT]

CHAPTER FIFTEEN – Chicory

   It’s been a yo-yo kind of period lately. I guess I’ll start with the sad news – Dad is no longer with us, physically at least.
 


   Although we’re all grieving, Kenyatta seems to have become unhinged. She became convinced that “over-friendliness with ghosts” was the cause of his death.



   She refuses to eat any of the meals that they have prepared, even cooking the same thing that we already have in the refrigerator.



   My personal opinion is that she doesn’t want to admit that someday the Grim Reaper will come for her. Anyway, whether because of grief or fear of death, she went to Marina’s graduation dressed in her nightgown. I guess she thought that adding long white gloves and high heels made it formal wear.



   That was the really sad thing for me – that Dad couldn’t stick around long enough to see his granddaughter graduate. Or get married. That’s right, Marina decided to continue two Bellew traditions. She got engaged and married at the courthouse, and her bridegroom, at least, was still in his cap and gown.



   Scotty is quite a nice addition to the family. I was wrong about his disliking children – it’s art he can’t stand. While I disagree with him about that, he seems to possess both brain and brawn, while Marina has enough beauty for both of them. They decided to continue another Bellew tradition, that of having a baby as soon as possible.



   Royal has been promoted to Vice-President. I fear this may have been the result of several shady deals, not only with criminals



   But with the Grim Reaper himself. I haven’t talked to him about it because I don’t really want to know the details.



   I wrote a science fiction book that was so inspirational that someone at the Lab came up with a fungus that would convert all the toxic waste in town to green grass and fertile soil. It’s too soon to plant fruits and vegetables, but we can begin using the yard. Marina’s baby will be able to have a sandbox, and we can play hopscotch on the ground instead of up on the roof, which has always worried me. I mean, if Royal had taken another step backwards, we'd have had another visit from Grim.



   I could have moved out right away, but I wanted to stay until Marina had her baby. I’m thinking about moving to Barnacle Bay now that the road there has opened up. I’m glad I didn’t move, because Mom slipped away just before the baby was born.



   I’d like to say that I was a big help to Marina when she went into labor, but I’m afraid there’s ample evidence to prove otherwise.



   Even with all the emotional turmoil, Marina managed to produce a darling baby boy.



   His name is Slate, and we’re all pleased with how dark he is. We were afraid that the blue blood was thinning, but he’s brought back some of the intensity. We think he’s inherited Kenyatta’s musical ability, and he seems to have a preference for Egyptian music, just like her and great-grandfather Denim.

[MarianT]

CHAPTER SIXTEEN – Marina

Dear Aunt Chicory,
   This is just a short note to let you know how we’re doing. Cyan has graduated from high school. She was Valedictorian and named “Most Likely to Electrocute Herself.” Frankly, I think she’s least likely to electrocute herself, because she’s very capable. I don’t have a picture of her in her cap and gown because I had to stay home with Slate. Here she is in the dress she picked out. She said she wanted something practical and pretty for everyday because she would be in camos most of the time. She’s a latrine cleaner at the moment, but we all expect her to rise quickly to astronaut.



   Mom went to graduation in her usual nightgown and long white glove ensemble. I think she gets more and more out of it as she gets older. Scotty said she showed him baby pictures of Slate and then started talking about handcuffs. Scotty thinks she was trying to tell him that Slate’s father (him) was a policeman.



   I’m very proud of Scotty. He’s been promoted already, mainly because of the work he did on a gnome-smuggling case. Now that we can use the yard we can have a gnome – if I can figure out how to get one. Thanks again, Aunt Chicory, for making that possible.
   Anyway, without further ado – here’s Slate’s latest. He’s getting to be a big boy – walking already and potty-trained.

[loveSims]

Wow but Slate turn out a interesting blue colour!

[MarianT]

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – Marina

Dear Aunt Chicory,

I hope you don’t mind that I’m writing mostly about Slate in this one. The rest of us are fine, of course, and the day is getting closer when Dad will be elected Leader of the Zombie-free World. But except Slate has been the center of my little universe.  It took me a while to teach him how to talk. I told him when he was a big boy he’d be able to go to school.



I told him that after school, he’d go to work.



And then he brought up the subject of marriage!



   Dad took him to the library to read the books there. Then when he got tired of the xylophone and the peg board, we found a toy box for him. He says he wants a real horse someday.



   Meanwhile, I obviously found a little time for Scotty. He’s been good to me, giving me a massage when my back hurt



And cheering me on when I went into labor.



   Dad and Great-Grandmother Sapphire contributed their bit, too.



Until finally little Cobalt joined the family. He’s going to be smart, just like his daddy.



P.S. I'm a little concerned because Slate seems to be taking longer to grow up than we did. I thought for sure he'd be starting school when Cobalt came along. Oh well, maybe I counted wrong.

[loveSims]

Great update! Wow another blue nooboo, he look like he is a little darker than Slate.

[MarianT]

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN -- Marina Bellew (continued)

P.P.S. Dad won the election! We have a new house! (Sorry for all the exclamation points, but this is exciting.) The new house is HUGE, but Cyan and I agree we can get used to all the extra space. It still needs decorating, but it’s livable. We're keeping the old shelter and letting people tour it as a museum so they can see what life was like in the days after the disaster.



My worries about Slate proved unfounded. Both he and Cobalt grew up right on time. Here’s Cobalt’s picture; Slate’s will come in my next letter.

[Joria]

This is really very interesting and your story has encouraged me to give an apocalypse a shot.  Only I'm having a really hard time keeping the bazillion and one rules straight!  I also have no clue how you register and get those people to come check up on you.  Some of the rules make sense, some are just absurd.  Anyway, I'll be reading along with you right till the end.

[MarianT]

The people who come to check on you are the paparazzi -- it took me a while to build a foyer with a door to keep them out. As for all the rules, I read the ones on Sims wikia about 10 or 15 times and went through 3 versions of my own before posting. Don't worry too much about small rule-breakers. Your Sims will sneak in computer games, etc., so just cancel when you find them doing something that's not allowed yet. I still haven't figured out what to do about my ghosts who keep making autumn salad with "contaminated" vegetables.

[MarianT]

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – Marina

Dear Aunt Chicory,

This is just a hasty note to let you know that we’re all fine, really, but Twinbrook is being put under quarantine because of the nogrow virus. I’m sending the note with Slate. Unlike the rest of us, he’s been growing up fast.
 
   I’m sending a little money with him. I wish it could be more, but it would look really bad for Dad if he got caught and had a large sum on him. This way, if he does get caught, his cover story is easy – he was out for a hike (he loves the outdoors), and didn’t realize he’d gone beyond the perimeter.

   Please don’t worry about us. We’re all fine, except we’re just not getting any older. A good thing for most of us, but not so good for Slate and Cobalt. I’m keeping Cobalt with me. If he’s going to be a toddler for the rest of his life, I’d rather he were with me. Here’s a picture of us taking a walk in happier times.

[loveSims]

O no your game is glitzing! Is it now game over? The blue nooboos was so interesting.

[MarianT]

CHAPTER NINETEEN – Slate

Dear Mom and Dad,

I arrived safely with no hassles at the border. Aunt Chicory appears to have moved, but the Barnacle Bay EPC said it would be okay for me to live in her house, provided I made a donation to the Disaster Relief Fund. The house is small – a bedroom, a bathroom, and a living room/kitchen. I eat out on a small porch.

   One thing I have to tell you is that this place is gorgeous! Sunshine, flowers, and several beaches with palm trees. I’ll try to send more pictures next time, but this should give you an idea.



   As soon as I got settled in, I started practicing the guitar. I’ve already entered the music career and taken a class. My aspiration is the same as Grandmother’s was – to become a hit movie composer. She wasn’t able to achieve her dream, but I hope I can do it for her.



   After class, I went to the park and hung out for a while. I met a girl – Fiona Fleet. She likes music and being outdoors; I think she likes me, too.



   Well, it’s almost bedtime. You can see lots of stars here when it gets dark. Give hugs to Grandmother and Granddad and Aunt Cyan and Cobalt. (I can’t honestly say I miss the ghosts.)

   After mailing his letter, Slate settled down to read the family history that his mother had prepared for him.

   “Your great-great-great grandfather was Denim Bellew. He was a DNA Profiler, and he made it possible for us to get married and have children and to change our lifetime wishes and traits. He also made it possible for us to learn things more quickly.

   “He married Emerald Greenwood. She was a famous Tinkerer, developing the zombie repeller attachment for cars. This made it possible for us to travel around Twinbrook, even going places at night. Because of your great-great-great grandmother, you were able to go on field trips and go to the library, and your great-aunt Chicory was able to move out. Her ghost has also made waffles for us often.



   “They had two daughters, Sapphire and Azura (named for Denim’s grandmother, from whom you inherited your blue skin). Your great-great grandmother Sapphire was Twinbrook’s chess grandmaster. She brought electricity back to our lives. Her sister Azura managed to accumulate a fair amount of cash, which she used to bring a therapist to Twinbrook, freeing us from the tyranny of “the roll of dice” in determining our personality traits. The therapist also was an accomplished midwife, setting up practice at the hospital.



   “Sapphire married Clarence Knack. He became a world-famous surgeon, developing techniques to aid in bladder control, appetite suppression, happiness extension, and cleanliness. They had two children, Teal and Skye. Your great-grandfather Teal became a CEO, and freed us from having to pay protection money to the Racket family. He also developed the Bellew Bellow burglar alarm and fire alarm. His sister Skye completed the 'Perfect Mind, Perfect Body' correspondence course and became a teacher. Her volunteer work with the clothing distribution committee gave us the ability to choose our own clothing and hair styles.



   “Your great-grandmother Cheri wanted to live in the lap of luxury and was rather disappointed with our simple life style. She accumulated enough money to order a wider selection of furniture from Sunset Valley. Teal and Cheri had two children, your grandfather Royal and great-aunt Chicory. As you know, your great-aunt Chicory was an illustrious author and painter. She inspired the scientists of Twinbrook to develop an antidote to the toxins infesting our land. Grandfather Royal became the Leader of the Free World, and brought construction workers to Twinbrook to build our house.



   “And basically, that’s it. Your father and I and Aunt Cyan are out of the loop. I’ve enclosed a copy of Denim’s Restoring Similization for you to look at. I hope you’ll continue the Bellew tradition in Barnacle Bay. Your loving mother.”

        Slate was glad his mother had written all of that down. He knew it was important for future generations, both to know what they would have to do and to honor the accomplishments of their ancestors. At the moment, however, all he could remember was watching the sunset with Fiona earlier that evening.

[MarianT]

CHAPTER TWENTY – Slate

Dear Mom and Dad,

   Not much news here. Oh, I did remember one thing. You remember that girl I told you about? Fiona? Anyway, she and I really hit it off.



   So we decided to get married.



   She brought three cats with her. I know you told me that I had to stay away from animals, but I couldn’t tell Fiona she had to leave them behind. I wish I had though because the mother cat had fleas and wouldn’t let either of us give her a bath. The kittens were cute, though.



   Anyway, I guess we weren’t paying them enough attention, busy doing other things,



Because one day they just up and left. It was probably just as well. Fiona told me we would soon have a kitten of our own.



   She had a difficult labor,



But she said it was worth it. Here’s Gray, your new grandson!



   After we put Gray to bed, I serenaded Fiona.



She said it was lovely, but I’m not sure she really liked it.



That’s it for now. Your loving son, Slate

[MarianT]

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – Slate

   Living in Barnacle Bay, Slate found it hard to believe that anything bad had happened there. The sun was always shining, and as an up-and-coming composer, happily-married husband, and proud father, he felt like the world was a safe and welcoming place.

   Still, sunshine wasn’t everything. Teaching Gray how to talk, he reminded him that certain signs meant you should stay away.



   “Because otherwise, the Grim Reaper will come and get you,” Slate concluded.

   “Gim Weaper!” Gray repeated.



   “What are you telling him?” Fiona asked crossly.  It seemed to Slate that she had been cross much of the time lately. He understood that pregnancy was uncomfortable, what with nausea and backaches, but he didn’t understand why she blamed him, when they both had decided they wanted a little girl. In fact, Fiona had expressed the wish for a girl first, but Slate had more sense than to remind her of that. Fiona was also distressed about the direction her career was taking, which was straight to nowhere.

   “I want to help with the project,” she said, “but I can’t achieve my goal of becoming a superstar athlete if I’m pregnant all the time.”

   It wasn’t all the time, Slate silently protested. This was only their second child. And she didn’t seem to appreciate that he had done much of the work with Gray. To be honest, though, he really enjoyed hanging out with the little fellow, so it wasn’t what you would call work.



   Finally, the day came when their suspense was ended. They had a beautiful baby girl, whom they named Heather.



   And Fiona decided that rather than work on a career, she would concentrate on building the skills of painting and guitar-playing. Given that she was talented in both areas, Slate thought it made sense.