Morning. I use the term loosely. Although there was a sun up in the sky it was still as black as pitch out there. I dont get it, I said to Harcourt. If thats the sun, I tapped on the window. Whys the sky black? No atmosphere. No air. The molecules that make up air absorb Stop right there, my friend. Not another word. You say its because theres no air and I say OK. Next subject. Whats for breakfast? I believe all the rations are of the same nature as we had last night. Poor Alka. The rations hadnt stayed with her very long the night before. Alka is adjusting and feeling better than she did yesterday. She was up earlier and ate a little. But I worry for her. We went out to the main room and I saw that our group had increased by one. The woman had white skin, green hair and black lipstick. Its an interesting look although not one Id want to date, if I were still looking for dates, which Im not. But Im polite, so I said, Good morning. My names Errol. Her grip on my hand was as friendly as an iron vice. I got a close up view of her eyes. They didnt look real. Yuck, I thought. Its another robot. Or something in between. I am named Swanhilda, she said, releasing my hand. I greet you warmly. Swanhilda, said one of the other robots, is our incubator. She has completed the task of collecting the frozen cells from the bones we found at 179 degrees east longitude and 5.5 degrees south latitude, which is the center of the Mare Hilarus. She will now grow them so that we can determine what type of life it was. Are you familiar with the moons history? I was never keen on history. But I know the moon is dead. No air, you see. The robots black eyes blinked at me as he considered my comment. I live without air, he said at last. Then he told me all about the moon. I dont recall any of it, but did you know that robots can smile? Dont believe me? Ask one to give you a lesson on moon history some time.
It was a long, long day and I spent it thinking about Kate. I had so much to tell her, in particular that Id never ever leave her again. But I stopped thinking of Kate for a few minutes when the green haired lady waddled out of the back room looking as pregnant as Alka. I grabbed Harcourt and pulled him aside, Shes pregnant! How did that I mean, shes a robot! Robots are built in a factory, right? She is of a unique series of robot, designed for incubating certain types of cells and is usually to be found employed on farms where experiments on animal and plant genetics are conducted. Do you see any farm animals around here, Harcourt? There are no farm animals around here anywhere. Were a million miles from farm animals " We are on average 238,856 miles from Put a cork in it, Professor. The mileage isnt important. The robots told me they found some old bones and they have no idea what kind of creature those bones were inside of. But theyre going to grow some of those bony old cells to find out what it looked like. Harcourt smiled. He liked the idea. Think of Alka, I said. Is she safe? He stopped smiling and looked thoughtful. Then he said, We should leave as soon as the mirrors phase. Which they did, dependable as always. And we were ready for them, standing right on the spot where wed arrived in the closet. All three of our robot hosts were there for the send off. They wont follow us, will they? I said to Harcourt. It is not in their interests to do so. Their contract is to do research here. Good. We waved goodbye and went into the mirrors. And in case youre wondering what the lady robot was incubating, your guess is as good as mine. Whatever happened on the moon, stayed on the moon.
We stepped out into the smell of fresh air. Too fresh. We were not in my basement. The moon was where it should be, though, up there in a nest of stars. Down here was the normal sound of crickets. But it wasnt home and I groaned. Harcourt and Alka, on the other hand, were laughing and hugging. Let me guess, I said. You live here. Yes, Harcourt said. He was grinning wide enough to split his face in two. I am not home, Harcourt. I am not happy. You will be. I regret the slight delay, my friend, but I needed to be sure Alka got home as soon as possible. So she remembers who she is and where she comes from now? Didnt the old lady at the castle say Alka had forgotten all that. She remembers now. Come rest with us for the night. I will be sure that you are here tomorrow for the mirrors. I looked around us. Whats the name of this town? Royden. And is that thing up on the hill a museum? Harcourt put his arm around Alka and looked up at the huge gloomy structure on the hill. No, he said. That is Harcourt Castle. That is where Alka and I live. Come now and meet the family. How could anyone live in a place so huge? It would take half an hour just to get from the front door to the mail box. Even so, two residents of the castle knew we were trudging up the endless staircase and came hurrying to meet us. An older woman flung herself at Alka and they sobbed in each others arms. It was her mom, I figured. Later on, after a shower, a shave and a fresh set of clothes, I had dinner at the kitchen table with Alkas baby brother. Everyone else was down the hall being entertained by Harcourts tales of our adventures. So, are you glad your big sisters back? I said. Sure. Shes OK. And Im real glad she married King Iven. I like him a lot.
The following morning, before anyone else was up, I took a walk around. No question, it was a big place. Very impressive. Just made me want to go home to my own house more than ever.
So, the moon is kind of like Vegas, is it? Poor Errol. I'm enjoying his adventures but he doesn't seem to be. Let's hope Kate waited for him, though he could arrive back before he left. Wouldn't that be hard to explain! And, holy cow, Lynet. Did you build that place? It's very impressive!
Problem is, I'm so impatient to get him home so that I can get into OFB that I just couldn't stand to wait around to see what was incubating. Maybe we'll find out somehow later on. (Yes, I used Vegas as an excuse to exit the moon. ) It took ages and ages to finish Harcourt's castle. And it is a very difficult lot to play. Way, way too big. Awesome, but too big. He's almost home. Maybe in two chapters.
OK, I didn't think I was fibbing. I've never been happy with the houses I've built for my sims, and my son the artist hasn't liked them either. But for the castle I allowed myself complete freedom with motherLode and just played with it. I discovered that mixing the stair types had an interesting effect, for instance, and that the wooden railings of the cheapest stairs blended rather well with the dark stone railings. Dormers can be fun, too. I also found medieval banners on MTS2. MoveObjects allowed me to hang them on foundation walls. The stone wall covering I found on a site that I think is called Avalon. Not positive. Anyhow, labor of love that it was, it is totally useless for sims to live in because it's too big for them. But it's definitely photogenic.
I want to live there! It's amazing! I bet it makes for a nice view from the other lots across the street.
I didn't mean to falsley accuse you. I'm sure it plays like molasses, sigh. I had a very cool haunted house, once, that nearly crashed my game every time it loaded. But they are fun to build, aren't they?
For sure. I'll probably do more of them. Here goes more story. And just a note for anyone familiar with the proper costuming for different eras of RL history please forgive me my mixing and matching in Errol and Harcourt's parallel universes which I've done quite freely throughout these adventures.
Somewhere in that pile of stone was a dining room big enough to seat a hundred. Harcourt told me that it was too big for family meals so they always ate in the kitchen. So youre king here? These pancakes are real good, by the way. Does being king mean you run things? Sign treaties? Chop heads off? I have signed treaties. I do not execute people nor allow it here. You certainly didnt hesitate back on the mountain. You burnt that High Priestess down to a pile of ash. He winced, then got up from the table and took his own plate to the dishwasher. Id never met a king before but Id always assumed they sat around growing big and fat while other people washed their dishes and clothes. Guess I was wrong about that. The other members of the family, Alka and her Momma and Poppa and her kid brother, all paid close attention to their food, like they had no interest in our conversation. Harcourt came back to the table and put a hand on my shoulder, Let me show you Royden. Come for a walk. Royden was crowded close around the castle. Beyond it was farmland. Birds chirped. A breeze moved in the trees. I wished Kate were here to see this. It crossed my mind that living here might be real nice. Then again, if I did, would that make Harcourt my boss? Were you elected king or did you inherit the job from your father? Before me, my mother was Queen. She died at a young age a few years ago He stopped walking and waved an arm. This is Royden. Would you like to live here? Looks like a nice town. Ill think about it. We walked around town all day. We ate apples. We talked to people. We looked at pots of flowers and handmade rugs. Then we sat down in a pub for a drink and supper. We talked about everything and I didnt even notice the sun set. Harcourt finally pushed his plate away and stood up from the table, We need to get over to the garden for the mirrors. I jumped to my feet, heart pounding. Were not too late are we? He shook his head, smiling. There is enough time. In the gardens at the foot of the castle I was so charged up with the thought of getting home and seeing Kate that I could hardly stand still long enough to say goodbye. He could tell I was anxious, so he kept it brief. I thank you, Sir Errol, for all that you have added to my education. I have learned much, most particularly about myself. Tell Kate that I wish her well. Goodbye. I started to shake his hand then surprised myself by giving him a quick and friendly hug. I turned around and marched into the mirrors saying Kates name over and over.
My basement! Look at me, House! Im home! I whooped and hollered like an idiot and almost dropped down to kiss the cement floor. But Kates was the kiss I really wanted. I ran upstairs and came face to face with my Sweetie. She held a gun pointed at my chest, Hold it right there, Mister! Hands in the air. Higher! Dont you know me, Hon? Im back. Im finally home. I noticed the gun was shaking in her hand, which made me mighty nervous. Slowly the barrel lowered and she set the thing carefully down on the dining room table. Then she started yelling at me, using language I hadnt heard since prison. Youre right, I said. Yes, thats true, too. Yup. Yup. I just kept nodding in agreement. When she paused for breath I said, Im so sorry, Kate. Ive tried to get back. Every day Ive tried. I love you, I stretched my arms wide, hoping. She ran forward and we hugged and kissed until we were breathless. I was in heaven. Then she pulled loose and shoved me. I thought she was going to punch me, too, but she didnt. Where have you been? Why didnt you call me, Errol? I thought youd left me. Then I thought youd been kidnapped. Then I thought someone had beaten you up somewhere and left you for dead. She looked down at my clothes. Whats the costume for? Have you been to a party? She started yelling some more but it was not as bad this time. It made her hiccup, which made her laugh. Shes hysterical, I thought. I had no idea she loved me as much as that. I grabbed her and held on until she calmed down. I need coffee, she said. How about you? Sounds great. Sitting on the couch with coffee I told her all about my adventures. She listened quietly. I finished up with my arrival in the basement. Amazing, she said at last. Let me see, now. You find a man in our basement and take him to visit your Granddad. The three of you rob someone. You escape on a boat where you rescue a mermaid. The boat lands on an island where you get into fist fights with the locals and have to escape to the desert. In the desert you get into more fist fights, this time with flying skeletons. Youre about to be sacrificed in a volcano when your friend--King Iven of Harcourt?--kills the priestess with a bolt of lightening. The two of you having rescued Princess Alka from the volcano meet a magician who takes you on a flying carpet to the sea where, once again, you do battle with skeletons, escaping on a boat. The boat sinks in a storm and you escape to the moon where you meet robots who get pregnant from moon bones. From there you go to King Ivens castle. He takes you out for a drink and sends you home. She smiled at me, Is that about it? I wont tell anyone else about this. That would be wise. I heard something cry out upstairs. Whats that? Thats Ania, your daughter. Go get her. Its time for her bottle.
Sunday evening a few days later I was sitting on the couch reading the paper when Kate handed me an envelope. Whats this? Pictures. I was in the basement checking out our new water heater and this envelope came flying right out of the mirrors. Almost hit me in the head. Its addressed to Sir Errol and Kate so I opened it. She leaned down and kissed me. I love you, Errol. Ill go get you a slice of cake. I looked at the pictures and smiled. Thanks, Harcourt. The End (probably)
I knew it! I knew Kate was pregnant. Don't ask me how, I just had this feeling ... what a satisfying ending, Lynet! I'm sorry it's over, though. Maybe part two is, Errol goes into business? Brava! What a great story.
Thank you. *blushes* I hope it was as much fun to read as it was to write, although building the exotic places for them to visit was great, almost more fun than taking them there on adventures. Mermaids and skeletons and sinking boats! When Kate summed it all up at the end I was ROTFL. I hadn't quite realized until then what a thoroughly nutty yarn it was. Now I'm checking on my families before installing OFB. Errol is one of the first I will play with. His baby, girl by the way, who is now a toddler, looks exactly like him, except she has her mother's red hair. Naturally, I took a picture. Not sure it shows what I mean, but here it is.
Amazing, Lynet. You have a true talent for writing, and your creativity is legend. I'm so sorry it ended!
