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Simmers' Paradise / Sims Stories / The Inheritance: Chapter 5 - Part II (Updated 11/14)
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on: July 20, 2008, 01:06:31 am
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The Inheritance
Chapter One - Part XV
October 1945 Meanwhile, that same night... As darkness fell over the Thornycroft manse, a white sedan pulled up to the driveway and a pair of darkly-clothed figures stepped out. As they hurried towards the window that one of them had already broken, the slimmer one said in Russian, "We know Grant isn't here, but what about that Roger Williams? What about Lady Thornycroft?"
The more muscular of the pair said, "Why do you think we brought weapons?"
"I don't like it," replied the woman. "We shouldn't kill unless we have to." They were lucky, though. Neither Roger Williams nor Lady Thornycroft nor any other soul was in the manor, except for their target. Adela led the way; she knew the route best, having taken it before. "Hurry up," she called down the ladder as Erik clambered into the attic. "We haven't got all night."
They pushed into the secret room, ignoring the warning sign on the door, not quite sure what to expect. What they found was both shocking and pitiful, and Adela's heart was wrenched. "The poor thing," she said to Erik. "Can you believe they keep her up here this way?" "I'd keep her up here if she looked like that, too," said Erik as they moved into the room. He was unable to take his eyes from the deformed woman before them. Adela stepped forward.
"What is your name, my dear?"
"Eleanor," said the girl, her voice thick with confusion. "Who are you?"
"We're friends of your mother," said Adela, trying to sound calm and kind. "She sent us to take you to a safe place while she goes back to England."
"Why?"
"She didn't say, dear. Come with us, now." The confusion was evident on Eleanor's face. She considered for a few moments before finally saying, "All right."
"So she is deformed mentally as well as physically," said Erik with a self-indulgent chuckle.
"Shut up," Adela snapped. "This is the worst kind of exploitation; we should be ashamed of ourselves."
"Come on, let's just get her out of here." As the white sedan trundled away from the Thornycroft's manor towards town, they didn't know that less than a mile away another family was being torn apart--my own.Back at the villa...The last thing I remembered was the nursery. Josephine was gone, gone, and the smoke was choking me, and then...blackness. The first thing I felt was the chill. I was cold everywhere. I opened my eyes and saw Dante kneeling next to me. "Where's Josephine?" I blurted out. From the look in his eyes, I knew before he even shook his head. "No. No, no, no. She's got to be--she's--"
"Hush, child," said a warm voice from behind me. Mama Moretti stroked my hair as she helped me to sit up. "It'll be all right, my dear. Please, calm yourself."
I wept silently into Dante's shoulder until we all heard a shout. "Who's that?" I asked.
"A police investigator. You've been out of it for a little bit. Come on, let's see what he's found," Dante said. He helped me up and we walked towards the shed. "I've found someone," said the investigator. "Do you know her?"
"Yes, that's Lady Esther Thornycroft," I said, feeling cheated. I thought he had found Josephine. My arms ached to hold her. "Have you found my baby?"
"A baby? No, no baby. I'm sorry," said the investigator. "But this Thornycroft lady, it looks like she's been whacked pretty hard."
"What does that mean?" I asked. "What is she doing way out here behind the shed?"
"The footprints indicate that she was dragged here."
"But that would mean that someone was here at the time of the fire," I said, my mind working overtime. "That might mean whoever did has my baby!"
"Don't get your hopes up," said the investigator. "Infant lungs aren't as strong as adult ones. Unless your child was out of the house before she inhaled much smoke, there's not much hope..."
When he saw the look on my face, he allowed the sentence to trail off, looking sheepish. Dawn broke over my home, but for all the anguish I felt, my life was being overtaken by dusk. |
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Simmers' Paradise / Sims Stories / The Inheritance: Chapter 5 - Part II (Updated 11/14)
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on: July 19, 2008, 10:59:38 pm
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The Inheritance
Chapter One - Part XIV
October 1945  I needed Dante's support. He had been somewhat cold and distant since he witnessed my encounter with Roger at the Thornycrofts and I needed to tell him what was transpiring. I called him and arranged a dinner date at Dinozo's, a restaurant in town. I called Lady Thornycroft, who was so taken with Josephine, and asked if she could sit with the baby. She agreed, explaining that with "the boys off in town, I could use some company. I'll come right over." "I'm glad you came," I told him, giving him my best smile. He seemed reluctant to reciprocate, and so I turned on the gas, so to speak. "Listen, I just want you to know that this whole thing with Roger doesn't change anything with us." "So...you're not breaking it off with me?" he asked, softening a little. I shook my head and explained what Father Bianchi had told me, and how I had decided that my marriage with Roger was over in name as well as in fact. "That's wonderful!" he said, and covered my hand with his.
"So tell me, Dante," I said. "How do you feel about a Christmas wedding?"
"I'd marry you tomorrow, mi amore," he said. "I love you, Dante," I said, and I meant it more than I ever had. "But I do need some time to plan!"
"Whenever you want, Elizabeth. I'll be there." By the time I got home, an early snow had fallen, but as I slushed through the snow, I couldn't help but ignore the biting cold. Indeed, there was a much more pressing matter that held my attention. My house, my villa, my work for the past many months was in flames. And Josephine was inside! I battled through the snow, wrenched the door open and rushed up the stairs into the nursery. I was horrified by what I saw. The nursery was all but up in smoke. I could hardly breathe from the smoke filling the room, and I could barely see anything. But I had to battle on, I knew. I turned to the corner where Lady Thornycroft had been rocking Josephine's cradle. Where my daughter should have been, there was only ash, and soot, and smoke, and flames. |
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140
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Simmers' Paradise / Sims Stories / The Inheritance: Chapter 5 - Part II (Updated 11/14)
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on: July 19, 2008, 01:24:51 am
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The Inheritance
Chapter One - Part XIII
October 1945  Angela Giorelli always wanted a house in the country, but part of marriage was compromise and so when her husband said that they needed to be close to town for his law practice, she consented. That's why when Elizabeth Williams showed up at her door to meet with Angela's husband and his client, Angela couldn't help but feel a stab of envy. Everyone who went to the bakery knew that Mrs. Williams was staying in that big, beautiful country villa up in the hills. "Now, Signora Williams. Signor Williams," said Giovanni Giorelli, leaning back in his office chair. "I'm glad you could both make it. Mrs. Williams, I take it you received my note."
I nodded. "Yes, I did."
"And yet you did not bring the child with you as I requested," said Giorelli, looking at her sternly.
I met his gaze resolutely. "That's right. There's no need to drag her around this town for this nonsense." "You can't keep her from me," said Roger heatedly. "She's my daughter."
I shook my head at him. "Yes, Roger, I can. Don't think I don't know what you've done. You're not coming near Josephine."
 "Mrs. Williams, I asked you here to inform you that I would be moving to open custody hearings in court on the matter of Josephine. We'll be suing for full custody," said Giorelli. I was shocked. "What?" was all I could muster. My world was spinning, especially since I couldn't imagine Roger as a father figure.  "Fathers have rights, too, Lizzy," sneered Roger. "I'm going to get Jo' and take her home. If you want to come back and be with us, that's your business, I won't stop you. But one way or another, I'm taking her back." "You go ahead and try it, Roger," I said angrily. "See what happens. Signor Giorelli, this meeting is over. You'll be hearing from my lawyer." And with that, I stormed from the house. As Angela Giorelli watched me go, I could almost see in her eyes that she no longer envied me my villa.Later that night... The Thornycrofts arrived home from dinner in town. Lady Thornycroft was wandering through the lounge in search of her cross-stitch, complaining about the food. "I swear, that marinara is going to keep me up all night. My goodness, how dreadful. And--" She turned to see a window that had been shattered, leaving shards of glass on the carpet and chair in front of the window. "Grant! Grant, go check the attic! Check it now!" Grant rushed through his mother's bedroom to check the attic. He peered inside and found nothing amiss. Indeed, after a more thorough look over the house, it was decided that nothing was taken. But that wasn't entirely true.
The Thornycrofts lost their most valuable asset that night, though they didn't know it... ...they lost their most precious secret. And it was Adela Koenig that took it from them. |
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Simmers' Paradise / Anecdote Assistance / Who's up for an audience-driven murder mystery?!
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on: July 18, 2008, 03:25:36 pm
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The voting, I think, will work the following way. It is a simple example but can be applied to different situations. Say we're all looking at three upside down cups. I know which one the coin is under, but the audience doesn't. They consider the evidence (i.e. did I put the cups down myself and then move them about?) and then PM me (or vote in a poll topic, which I'm not sure is available here) which cup they want to look under. The cup with the most votes will be revealed.
So, players will vote on which character they want to interview, what questions to ask, what rooms to investigate, etc. in this fashion. Perhaps it might even be a competition towards the end: players will judge the evidence and then PM me their thoughts on who did it, where, and with what.
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146
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Simmers' Paradise / Anecdote Assistance / Who's up for an audience-driven murder mystery?!
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on: July 18, 2008, 12:56:51 am
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I'm dreaming of a classic, audience-driven murder mystery (think 'Clue') with the audience (aka the readers) controlling (via a poll function of some sort) the detective. I'll have mapped the story out in full when the game starts, and the detective will investigate the manor, interview the suspects, etc. in order to discover the full extent of the crime, its motives, and its execution.
This is a little complicated and it will require considerable audience dedication and participation. It will be no easy undertaking, but I think it could be quite fun and I'd like to give it a shot if anyone is interested in playing along. So, comments, concerns, questions, painful revelations, shocking declarations, marriage proposals or duel challenges?
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147
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Simmers' Paradise / Anecdote Assistance / Story idea & Help
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on: July 18, 2008, 12:51:05 am
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If you press "c" it will take a snapshot of the screen. Then you go to My Documents > EA Games > The Sims 2 > Neighborhoods. You'll see a bunch of neighborhood folders labeled like "G001" or "N001" or "N00X" (X being some number). It'll take some trial and error to find the neighborhood you're in, but the rule of thumb I use is that the neighborhoods will be listed as you see them on the screen when you start the game. But anyway, once you discover which it is, you'll find a folder labeled "Storytelling" inside that folder. Open it and you'll see a bunch of pictures. Some of it may be stuff you don't recognize, so here's what I suggest:
1. Set the view to "Thumbnails" so you can see what you're looking at.
2. Right click the background of the folder and arrange the icons by "modified". Your newer images will be at the bottom of the window (at least that's how it happens for me).
Keep in mind you want to open the ones called "snapshot", not the ones called "thumbnail", since they're tiny and generally useless.
Good luck! I can't wait to read your story.
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148
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Simmers' Paradise / Sims Stories / The Inheritance: Chapter 5 - Part II (Updated 11/14)
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on: July 18, 2008, 12:31:59 am
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Okay, so, a little author's note. Sorry about the ceiling showing in some of these photos. I've recently discovered some neat ceiling tiles for the photos but I haven't got around to treating all the houses yet.
Next up: Josephine went and grew up! I try to set up my photos carefully and it sometimes takes time, and I often forget to pause when I take the photos, so her infant time just got away from me (and her). So for the time being, she'll be there in her crib...but not really. Make believe if you can.
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149
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Simmers' Paradise / Sims Stories / The Inheritance: Chapter 5 - Part II (Updated 11/14)
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on: July 18, 2008, 12:26:39 am
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The Inheritance
Chapter One - Part XII
October 1945 Later that week, I received an invitation to another tea party at the Thornycrofts. Dante picked me up and drove me over, and we found that we and Mama Moretti were the only ones invited; Roger was already there, and the Koenigs, we were told, were settling in their elderly mother at the bakery. I stood by the pool, watching my reflection in the water. I heard footsteps in the gravel behind me and turned to find Roger walking up behind me. "Let's sit down and talk," he said gesturing to a bench in the garden.
"Yes," I agreed. "I think we'd better." I can never be sure, but I feel that I made my final decision on the walk to the bench. We sat down and I took his hand in mine. "Roger, this whole... situation has been such a shock. When I found out that you weren't dead, I wasn't so much surprised as blown away." "I understand that," said Roger. "I really can't explain what happened or why, and I'm sorry for what I did. But I need you, Lizzy. Can't you see that I need you?" His eyes were pleading. "I do know that," I said kindly. "The thing is, Roger, I can't trust you anymore. I can't trust you to do what's right for me and for Josephine." I saw him glance behind me and turned to see Dante standing by the pool, watching us. He caught my eye, then turned and walked inside.
Roger looked angry when I turned back. "You can't leave, Elizabeth. You're still married to me."
"No, Roger, I'm not. And I'll tell you why: because if you contest our annulment, I'm going to call the War Department and tell them exactly what you've done." My voice trembled as I threatened him. "You're dead, Roger. You need to stay that way. Excuse me."
I stood and walked away, my fists clenching and unclenching. As I moved towards the door, I heard him shout, "You can't keep Josephine from me!" I stopped in my tracks for a moment, stunned, before continuing on. I didn't know what would happen to me, but I knew one thing: Roger wouldn't be getting his hands on my daughter.The next day... I went to get the mail and found a letter. I opened it and found a note that read: Mrs. Williams: Your presence (and that of your daughter) would be appreciated at the law offices of Giovanni Giorelli. Another note, this one without a stamp or a postmark, just had a blood-red X on the paper. Later that afternoon I was singing to Josephine in the nursery when I heard the sound of breaking glass from downstairs. I set Josephine in her crib and rushed down the stairs. I was shocked when I found the one of the kitchen windows shattered. I looked out and saw no one around. I quickly shut the shutters and locked the others before snatching up the phone. I called the police and told them what happened; they said they'd send someone out in the morning. I tried to get someone to come sooner, but they couldn't be bothered. I moved Josephine's crib up to my bedroom and locked the doors and windows. As I knelt at the side of my bed, I prayed for the wisdom and the tools to protect myself and my daughter.
And as I slipped under covers for bed that night, I felt calmer and resolute. For the first time, I felt that if we pray hard enough... ...God gives us the tools to our salvation. |
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Simmers' Paradise / Sims Stories / The Inheritance: Chapter 5 - Part II (Updated 11/14)
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on: July 17, 2008, 07:34:07 pm
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The Inheritance
Chapter One - Part XI
October 1945  Appearances could be deceiving--it was a lesson that Ashka Ysadrov had learned at an early age and one that she had tried to teach those under her charge. From the looks of the bakery, Erik and Adela had learned well. "Welcome to--ah, Commissar!" said Adela, straightening up. "We didn't realize you'd be here so soon."
The Commissar folded her arms. "I hope that would have no impact on your readiness status. Is there somewhere private we can talk, Comrade?"
"Of course, we can go to the safe room."
"Wait. This is a functioning bakery, yes?" asked the Commissar. Adela nodded. "I am hungry. Make me something for dinner, would you?" "Greetings," said the Commissar as she stepped into the kitchen to find Erik reading the newspaper. "I am Ashka Ysadrov, two times winner of Order of Lenin, Colonel in the revolutionary intelligence service."
"Yes, Commissar," said Erik with disinterest. "We've met several times."
"Of course. It is you who leads this outpost, am I correct?" As Adela served the sandwiches, she listened to the conversation between Erik and Ysadrov. What fools they were, she thought to herself. Erik was more interested in bedding the wives that came to the bakery than executing their mission. And Ysadrov thought that he was heading the mission.
"I want no more excuses," said the Commissar as Adela set out the sandwiches. "We will discuss this when I have been fed."
Night fell, and the trio went to the secure room above the garage. "This is the American?" Ysadrov asked, pointing at a poor-quality photograph on the bulletin board. Erik had snapped the photo using a tiny camera the night of the engagement party.  "Yes. We don't know what he's doing here, but we thought it prudent to alert you," said the Commissar.
Ysadrov sighed and walked towards the conference table. "The Americans have been posturing for some time. Since Potsdam, since Yalta certainly. It's possible they know about your mission here. And if they do, the British do, so be wary of the Thornycrofts." "The world is reshaping itself, Comrades. If you are capable of keeping up and doing what is required, you will have a place in the new regime. We all will," said Ysadrov, a sinister glint in her cold, grey eyes. "But if you fail," she continued, "you shouldn't expect a place in the Soviet Union. In fact, if you fail, you shouldn't expect a place in this world at all. I hope I needn't explain it more clearly."Meanwhile, at the Thornycrofts'... While the Koenigs were dealing with their new visitor, the Thornycrofts had a guest of their own. Throughout the previous two weeks, Grant Thornycroft had run into Roger Williams several times. Tonight, Grand invited Roger over for dinner. "Mother," said Grant while they enjoyed after-dinner drinks in the lounge. "I'd like to ask Mr. Williams here to stay with us. We have the spare room, after all, and Mr. Williams has just been staying at the dreadful little in in town."
Lady Thornycroft was hesitant. "Well, I don't see why not. I'll have to get the guest room ready. Shall you being your visit tomorrow?" "I would be honored and quite grateful," said Roger, smiling at Lady Thornycroft. "I appreciate your hospitality." "Don't imagine you'll get something for nothing," said Lady Thornycroft, a coy smile playing across her lips. Roger looked at her uncomfortably, and she laughed. She gestured to herself and to Grant and said, "I hope we'll get to know everything about you." But little did the Thornycrofts and Roger know that, thanks to a broken latch on the attic door, someone else would be hearing everything too. |
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