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The Elstree Legacy-A Prettacy-Updated 2/27 - Mini-hopefully very quick-hiatus
sabreene
Posts: 1,152 Member
Hi! So this will be a prettacy.... eventually!
My founder is the daughter of a couple in an uglacy town (The Barrows Town), a challenge I started but didn't have the desire to finish, especially after the save broke & I lost my family trees. So now Merriweather is starting out on her own, determined to leave all rules behind her. But can you ever truly run away from the past?
The story so far:
The Elstree Legacy - A Prettacy
Chapter List on Wordpress
Original Barrows Elstree Family - on my blog/ on forum thread
Prologue - Leaving it All Behind on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 1 - Granite Falls on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 2 - A Fortuitous Meeting on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 3 - An Offer on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 4 - A Zest for Life on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 5 - New Friends, Some Cereal and a Surprise on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 6 - Future Now! on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 7 - Pop, Bang! on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 8 - A Not So Chance Meeting on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 9 - Something Amazing on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 10 - And Baby Makes... 3? on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 11 - Everything is Temporary on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 12 - Quantifiable Data on my blog / on forum thread
Special Announcement / AU Interlude : on forum thread
Chapter 13 - Birthday Party on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 14 - Three Conversations: Part One on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 14 - Three Conversations: Part Two on my blog/ on forum thread
Chapter 14 - Three Conversations: Part Three on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 15 - Scrambled Eggs on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 16 - Frozen to the Core on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 17 - A Quest on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 18 - The End of a Quest on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 19 - Coming Together on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 20 - The Day Before on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 21 - The Night Before on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 22 - The Wedding on my blog
Special - The Wedding Album of Beth and Roxas Elstree-Hasslich on my blog
Chapter 23 - Honeymoon in Windenburg - on my blog
Chapter 24 - Precarious - on my blog
Chapter 25 - Nooboo Time - on my blog
Chapter 26 - Hypothesis - on my blog
Chapter 27 - Manipulating Matter - on my blog
Chapter 28 - Newfound Freedom - on my blog
Chapter 29 - A Long Day - on my blog
Chapter 30 - Growing Up Elstree - on my blog
Chapter 31 - The Forward Approach - on my blog
Chapter 32 - Complications - on my blog
Chapter 33 - A Day With Jack and Merri - on my blog
Chapter 34 - A New Nooboo - on my blog
Chapter 35 - Aftermath - on my blog
Chapter 36 - Boats in the Night - on my blog
Chapter 37 - The Magnolia - on my blog
Chapter 38 - A Night at Pan Europa - on my blog
Chapter 39 - A Crayon Landscape - on my blog
Chapter 40 - A Pre-Party Surprise - on my blog
Chapter 41 - The Beginning of a Birthday - on my blog
Chapter 42 - Jack's Birthday - on my blog
Chapter 43 - Party's End - on my blog
Chapter 44 - An Artist's Soul - on my blog
Chapter 45 - Moonlight and Shadows - on my blog
Chapter 46 - Baby Makes Three - on my blog
Chapter 47 - Old Enemy, New Arrival - on my blog
Chapter 48 - A Baby and a Birthday - on my blog
Character Profiles:
The Carvers - on my blog
(rules & notes moved to next post)
My founder is the daughter of a couple in an uglacy town (The Barrows Town), a challenge I started but didn't have the desire to finish, especially after the save broke & I lost my family trees. So now Merriweather is starting out on her own, determined to leave all rules behind her. But can you ever truly run away from the past?
The story so far:
The Elstree Legacy - A Prettacy
Chapter List on Wordpress
Original Barrows Elstree Family - on my blog/ on forum thread
Prologue - Leaving it All Behind on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 1 - Granite Falls on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 2 - A Fortuitous Meeting on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 3 - An Offer on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 4 - A Zest for Life on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 5 - New Friends, Some Cereal and a Surprise on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 6 - Future Now! on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 7 - Pop, Bang! on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 8 - A Not So Chance Meeting on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 9 - Something Amazing on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 10 - And Baby Makes... 3? on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 11 - Everything is Temporary on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 12 - Quantifiable Data on my blog / on forum thread
Special Announcement / AU Interlude : on forum thread
Chapter 13 - Birthday Party on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 14 - Three Conversations: Part One on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 14 - Three Conversations: Part Two on my blog/ on forum thread
Chapter 14 - Three Conversations: Part Three on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 15 - Scrambled Eggs on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 16 - Frozen to the Core on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 17 - A Quest on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 18 - The End of a Quest on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 19 - Coming Together on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 20 - The Day Before on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 21 - The Night Before on my blog / on forum thread
Chapter 22 - The Wedding on my blog
Special - The Wedding Album of Beth and Roxas Elstree-Hasslich on my blog
Chapter 23 - Honeymoon in Windenburg - on my blog
Chapter 24 - Precarious - on my blog
Chapter 25 - Nooboo Time - on my blog
Chapter 26 - Hypothesis - on my blog
Chapter 27 - Manipulating Matter - on my blog
Chapter 28 - Newfound Freedom - on my blog
Chapter 29 - A Long Day - on my blog
Chapter 30 - Growing Up Elstree - on my blog
Chapter 31 - The Forward Approach - on my blog
Chapter 32 - Complications - on my blog
Chapter 33 - A Day With Jack and Merri - on my blog
Chapter 34 - A New Nooboo - on my blog
Chapter 35 - Aftermath - on my blog
Chapter 36 - Boats in the Night - on my blog
Chapter 37 - The Magnolia - on my blog
Chapter 38 - A Night at Pan Europa - on my blog
Chapter 39 - A Crayon Landscape - on my blog
Chapter 40 - A Pre-Party Surprise - on my blog
Chapter 41 - The Beginning of a Birthday - on my blog
Chapter 42 - Jack's Birthday - on my blog
Chapter 43 - Party's End - on my blog
Chapter 44 - An Artist's Soul - on my blog
Chapter 45 - Moonlight and Shadows - on my blog
Chapter 46 - Baby Makes Three - on my blog
Chapter 47 - Old Enemy, New Arrival - on my blog
Chapter 48 - A Baby and a Birthday - on my blog
Character Profiles:
The Carvers - on my blog
(rules & notes moved to next post)
Post edited by sabreene on
2
Comments
Elstree Prettacy Rules on the Blog (may be more current that this list, since sometimes I change the risky woohoo percentage, etc.)
My number one rule is that I can't use anything to make things easier:
-no cheating, mods, creating sims, etc (things like MC Command Center will be used, and other things that don't affect the challenge)
-short to normal lifespan (can always be less days, but never more!)
-all traits (and first aspiration) are randomized. (If they complete their first aspiration, a 2nd one can be chosen)
-only girls will be eligible heirs (*this may change in future generations)
-all eligible heirs must have different fathers
-only the firstborn of each relationship is eligible (more children by the same father is allowed, but only the first will be eligible)
-no adoptive heirs, as they must be genetically linked!
My founder came from an uglacy town, with different rules:
-all marriages were arranged at birth or as children (when you couldn't tell who was going to turn out to be pretty and who would turn out to be ugly)
-no cheating or divorce until the couple had at least 3 children (could have less children, but not if they wanted a divorce)
-only children of the original spouse were eligible to be heirs
Other notes:
I try to follow whims and let the characters be autonomous when I can -- I like them to drive the story. Also, since I use the MC Command mod with the woohoo module, they can have autonomous woohoo with a risk of getting pregnant. All woohoo is risky in my game.
Since Merriweather is non-committal, I'm going to try and just let her get pregnant through risky woohoo, unless she rolls a whim to 'try for baby'. I hope I don't end up shooting myself in the foot with this!
The goal to have a pretty sim at the end of 10 generations! (though I have to admit, it's the quirky features that make me love this!)
I have to give a shout out and huge recommendation to @marcellala and @PeachyKeen88 , since I absolutely love their stories and they inspired me to write my own.
Even if you don't read this, you should read theirs:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/837582 by @marcellala
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/844406 by @PeachyKeen88
I'm still debating whether to post everything here, or on a blog, though I will definitely do the prologues here!
Prologue - Part 1
Leaving it All Behind
It was a bright, sunny day when Merriweather left her hometown to start a new life. Not that it mattered too much. Any day was a sunny day to Merriweather, she had that sort of personality.
Nothing got her cheerful disposition down for long, and nothing could ever stand in the way of her complete and utter self confidence. Which was the whole reason she was leaving, in the first place.
Merri came from a small town, if you could call it a town. There were many rules and restrictions, and everyone followed them blindly. Besides being cheerful and self-assured, Merri had aspirations of mischief. This combination never quite worked out well for anyone. Wrapping the town leader's office in bacon.... had been a very bad idea.
"Ughh, Merri, I know that look! Not another one of your ideas! After I helped you last time, Mom wouldn't let me have dessert for a week."
"You only helped me in the first place because of the bacon, you glutton!" laughed Merri. She loved her sister, but sometimes she thought the only thing her sibling cared about was food!
However poorly that prank came off, it wasn't the catalyst that set this departure in motion. No, that was the imminent arrival of her betrothed. She'd never met the man, but she already knew she didn't want to be tied down. Arranged marriages were a thing in her town. No one ever had a choice! She wanted to study the stars, not follow some ordained path.
"Now that your birthday party is over, Merriweather, it's time to plan your wedding," her mom said.
"Another party!" Merri's father gleefully interrupted behind them.
"Cake!" called her sister from the kitchen.
Her mom gave them both a smile, but turned a serious face back to Merri. "You aren't a teenager any longer, and it is time to put all these silly ideas out of your head. I want you to smile, and be your cheerful, adorable self when your fiance gets here. There are things that we should discuss about your upcoming marriage--"
"I am not getting married!"
"Now, Merri. There are things that need to be said. And yes, you are. Grandma had this conversation with me, and now it's time for me to have it with you. As the eldest, you--"
"UggghhhH! I can't even look at you right now. This is so embarrassing. I already know all of about woohoo, and I'm not getting married!!"
"You know about..." Her mother's face colored, and she turned away, "Well, I didn't know about woohoo until your grandmother... and then your father... and well. I. I need to go do the dishes. We'll continue this later."
Later, when they sat down again (her mother having cleaned every single thing in the house), Merri tried fruitlessly to explain. Finally getting the point across that she Did-Not-Want-To-Marry and Was-Not-Going-To-Follow-The-Plan, her parents were dumbfounded. They weren't the only ones. Every person in town looked at her as if she'd gone plum out of her mind. That just wasn't done! Merri might've well have wrapped herself in bacon, for all they looks they gave her. She went to her father, thinking out of everyone he would understand. Everyone had always told them how alike they were.
"Dad, I feel trapped here. I have to get out and explore! There's so much out there, I can feel it!" Merri pleaded with him.
Her dad waved it away. "It's just a phase, honey. It'll pass and then you'll come to realize how much you love it here. I'm sure you'll fall madly in love with this fellow. Just look at your mother and I!" He patted her hand. "Just do your work and follow the rules, and eventually you'll be just as happy as I am! I'm sure you're not really non-committal, you just had your birthday after all. It can be a confusing time. But for me, that's when I realized just how important family really was!"
Merri sighed, hope fading. Her dad truly was happy. He couldn't understand. Of course she was happy most of the time too, she couldn't help it, being so cheerful. But she wanted so much more. And she didn't want to be tied down! She hadn't lied when she told her mom she knew about woohoo. She'd had some experiments with the "woo" if maybe not the "hoo". But the local boys were all so... soo... she couldn't put a finger on it. But she knew there had to be different boys out there. Ones that didn't care so much about following the rules. She would never have told her parents, or anyone for that matter, but she didn't want to woohoo with one person for the rest of her life. She wanted variety! She wanted zest!
When her mother called them in for a family meeting, she tried one last time to explain.
"What do you mean, you want to see the world? This is the world, right here! This is your life and your home!" Merri's mother waved her hands erratically. "I know exactly where this is coming from, Merriweather Barrows Elstree! You have a serious fear of commitment. You need to face it, and overcome it! Do not let this trait rule you!"
"But, mom--"
"No. There are serious repercussions of such a trait. They will ruin your life and make you unsatisfied with everything the creator gives you! It's time to take some responsibility. Think of your husband and your children!"
"I don't have a husband and children, and I don't want them! You and dad both love family, but I don't! I want to travel. I've even heard there are machines that you can ride in, and they will take you to another world!"
"No, absolutely not! You will stay here, and you will marry the nice young man who the creator set up for you! And that's that!"
"Well," Merri thought to herself, "If the repercussions are that drastic, there's only one thing to do!" Being cheerful, she didn't hold her parents words against them. Hugging each, she made sure to let them both know how much she loved them. Still, her mind was made up. If one's life was going to be ruined, might as well ruin it while having some fun!
"You're really leaving? But it'll be so wet and cold! And what will you eat??!"
"I have the perfect thing!" Merri went to the closet where they kept her "experiments", and gathered her homemade tent along with a few other goodies, including a box for keeping food cool. "And they called me plum for wanting to sleep under the stars! Look how handy all this will be now! I'm a genius!"
She wasn't really, but being cheerful and self-confident can really go to your head. Especially when you're striking out on your own, ready for a new adventure.
Thanking her sister for help with one last "prank", even though it really wasn't a prank, Merriweather took her supplies and didn't look back. She was finally free!
Merri found much adventure, but she also learned you can never truly run away from your past. Sometimes it comes knocking. Literally.
But that was still many adventures away.
Am I supposed to eat this??
I must say, your uglacy town and its rules sound extremely interesting! Where those your own rules or did you follow an existing challenge?
I really like Merri's sister, she's ugly and still cute. I hope we'll see her again!
Good luck with your prettacy!
The Essence
How To Lose Your Ugliness in Ten Generations
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Origin ID: Julyvee94
I absolutely love your prologue, and Merri is so great! I like her attitude and I find the backstory of the uglacy town really interesting.
Story Blog | Forum Discussion
Thank you! Your story is awesome. Eowyn will always be one of my favorite characters, heir or no heir!
The uglacy rules were mine. At first I was going to do a prettacy, but I felt like I couldn't make a character ugly enough that I still liked. I noticed myself still trying to make them too pretty! So, I thought, well, make them pretty and go backwards! Then, I like to play rotationally, so I thought, well, do a whole town! I started by creating a few family lines, but they couldn't intermarry -- they could only marry townies, and the legacy really began with their first children. (Plus, it was just for me alone -- no stories or anything, so I didn't really need a plot or to try and explain who was who!)
With the pre-arranged marriages -- I liked the idea of things being taken out of my hands, since you can't tell looks at all with babies and even kids look pretty cute. Made it more of a challenge for me (which I needed since the game likes to give me crazy looking townies!). I usually play rotationally, so it worked well doing a whole town. The most fun came when the kids aged up into teenagers, and I saw what the spouse was going to look like! I didn't push them into meeting one another until they were young adults, so sometimes they didn't get introduced until the after their birthday. (Made for some interesting weddings, especially if I wasn't controlling both sims yet!).
I did get attached to some (like Merri's sister Beth!) so it definitely won't be the last we see of the town folk! It was a good time, but I've had problems with my game lately, and decided to spend the time saving my non-challenge game since even by fixing things, I could never get back the ghosts and family trees of the uglacy.
I started to try and format here, but then made the wordpress blog, because it was so much easier to edit on! I just created the blog, so I still have to get used to how it works. You were the very first person who looked at it!
Yay! Thanks so much! I don't know if you remember, but back at the end of July you gave me some encouragement to try my hand at a prettacy! I know I don't post much, but I'm still checking your story religiously.
I love your story, so I'm happy you liked mine! Thank you! (when I found yours, I stayed up half the night to finish reading it-- that is a novel you have!)
Hahha! Thank you! Or thank the game genetics, I guess
Mostly for posterity, so I don't forget who her family was.
Merriweather: (self-assured, cheerful, non-committal)
Beth, her sister: (goofball, glutton)
Jack, her dad (cheerful, bookworm, family-oriented)
Carol, her mom (neat, hot-headed, family-oriented)
I should have the first chapter up tonight or tomorrow, as we find out what happens to Merri when she leaves home!
HEFFNER LEGACY│Simblr│Heffner Legacy Discussion │ Origin ID: Maladi
I like what you wrote about Carol's hot-headed trait being softened by her family-oriented one; I see this the same way! Sims who gain "bad" traits are difficult in the early stages of their lives, but can become more balanced once they gain more traits to even it out, and often have the most wholesome of personalities
Oh, and thank you for the kind words about my legacy!
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Awww Merri looks so much like her dad!
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Thank you! I like to think of it like that too. It makes it interesting as the children grow up, to see how their personalities change with the gathering of traits. Some (like hot-headed and mean) can really exacerbate one another, but others (like hot-headed and family oriented) seem like they would temper one another.
btw, I just read your new chapter (and am going to post there too), but I was loving the contrast between Booker's relationship & Chell's.
Thanks! I keep changing my mind about the template on wordpress, but then keep changing it back. I'm really enjoying figuring out the different aspects to the site. The country statistics are awesome. I can see where everyone is from! (Hello Germany!
Finally got time to update and catch up on some more stories tonight, so I'm posting a new chapter (or two) shortly!
Find on my blog here: Elstree Prettacy - Chaper 1 - Granite Falls
***
If there was one thing Merriweather had in abundance, it was confidence. Jumping the local train with a happy, "Yippee!" Merri knew exactly where her first stop in this new life would be. Granite Falls!
The wheels seemed to chugg-chugg on forever as they passed through different towns; Willow Creek with green valleys and glistening blue rivers, Oasis Springs with brick-red bluffs turning orange in the sunset, Newcrest with bright city lights filling the night sky.
"It's like they have their own stars!!" Merri thought, enjoying the view and glad her luck was holding. No one had even asked her for a ticket!
She didn't notice the strange looks from other passengers, nor the odd look from the conductor as he purposely ignored her presence. "Let the next shift deal with that," he murmured to himself as he turned around and went back into the previous rail car.
Finally, the train pulled in to a tiny station surrounded by woods. She was here! First things first, she needed to set up camp.
She wandered by great tall cabins as she searched for the campground, and wondered at the people who would come out all this way to stay in those great big houses. Fancy people, indeed! She was happy with her small little tent, and her small little cooler. So happy, she had to document her success!
A ranger stopped by, admiring her tent, she was sure. She couldn't blame him.
"Looks like you're all set up out here. No need to come into the lodge, right?" he asked.
"Thank you!" Merri beamed, oblivious to the fact he hadn't actually complemented her camping skills. "Is the lodge one of those big houses? Do people really stay in them? I'd love to look around."
Before the ranger could formulate an answer, Merri continued, "And did that biggest one have a restaurant? Do enough people live out here to fill it? Would they trade for metals and plants? I don't have much money yet, but I know I could find some great things out here!"
"Uhhh," the ranger paused, tipping his hat back. "Well, now. I, no, I don't live in the lodge. It's a pretty boring place, really. And the larger buildings are private, you understand. We have a family up there now, the Landgraabs. Not our sort of people," he included her in a wink. "But, hey, if you're hungry, I have a great idea. I'll bring you out a fishing pole, no charge! And you can catch your own meals out here. It's really the best way to eat. Out here. Get back to nature. Really get your hands dirty."
"Really get my hands dirty. Yeah, that's exactly what I want!"
***
People were just so nice out in the world, Merri thought later, as she walked down to the lake.
Grinning, she tried out her new fishing pole. She'd catch enough fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner, she was sure of it!
And she got her first bite! Merri was estatic!
Reeling the line up quickly, suddenly it gave a snap back and came sailing out of the water. It was a... nothing. The hook was empty!
Oh well, she'd catch something soon.
"Hmmm. This is not quite what I had in mind. Can I eat this?"
She tasted the strange green thing she pulled up. "Ughhh. The answer is no." Her stomach grumbled. "Well, there's nothing for it. I know I saw a trash can on the way down here. Beth does it all the time, it can't be that bad!"
"Never again," she told herself afterwards.
***
The next morning she was ready to try her hand at fishing again, but this time she ran into a new ranger. A pretty brunette was standing outside her camp, as if waiting for her.
"Wow, look at your ears! They remind me of my family!" Merri exclaimed. (author's note: The game created her with those ears, and she really was standing outside waiting for Merri, so I had to go with it.)
The ranger laughed and took Merriweather's arm, as if they were old friends.
"As soon as the other ranger told me about you, I had to come see!" she said. "I bet we're distant cousins. My dad tells us tales of our far off Barrows relations -- and I'm guessing you're a Barrows through and through! I didn't know you were allowed to leave!"
"My mother is a Barrows and my father an Elstree, so 100% Barrows town. My parents were great, but they wanted me to follow all the rules. I want to see the world and study the stars, maybe even go to the stars!"
"Well, you can't be seeing the stars or even running around the woods in that dress. I don't have any spare shoes, but I think I have some clothes that will fit."
They talked and cloudgazed for a bit, before the ranger had to be on her way.
"If you really want to make some money collecting things, you should try to find Arthur, he's a bit of a hermit, but I'm sure he would like you. His place is a little hard to find." She gave Merri a set of instructions. "At the very least, Arthur can teach you what plants are edible and maybe give you some fishing lessons!"
Merri was all for that! Her sister may enjoy a good trash dig, but Merri was happy never to do that again. She made her way through the mysterious cave in the forest.
What she found on the other side surpassed all her expectations. She'd read books that described the "majesty of nature", but this... Everything was so alive! Merri felt a rush of excitement that matched the rushing of the waterfall in front of her. If only her family could experience something like this, maybe they wouldn't all want to build their houses underground!
As much as the surroundings overwhelmed her, the man she found tending a small little garden was... underwhelming. She hadn't known what to expect from a hermit, but whatever she'd had in her mind, this wasn't it.
He was nice enough to explain herbalism to her and what to gather that would sell for the most money. He even invited her to stay in his house, which was pretty great -- as long as he didn't get any ideas!
The days flew by as she gathered and planted and fished, stargazing every night.
She even tried her hand at cooking -- but she had to admit, it wasn't much of a success. At least she didn't burn the house down!
But she began to grow antsy, itching for something new. As beautiful as this little nook of the forest was, it just wasn't as bright or as peaceful as she once found it. The fireflies soothed her, like catching little bit of living stars -- but even they only held her interest for so long.
Merri knew she would have to do something soon. But what?
Bonus picture:
"So, hey, I hear you're into trash? Maybe sometime you'd like to go out, find a few nice cans?"
Merri meets some new people, and learns the importance of connections!
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Funniest thing is -- she loves to play pranks, but didn't get one moodlet to do so while at Granite Falls. I like to follow where the moodlet takes me, so I'm just letting her be herself.
Find on my blog here: Elstree Prettacy - Chaper 2 - A Fortuitous Meeting
***
It was time for Merriweather to make the trip to the lodge and sell off her most recent collections. "Maybe I can find Ranger Samantha, and ask her about some new opportunities!" Her mind kept going back to the train ride here: the waters of Willow Creek, the stark beauty of Oasis Springs, the bustling lights of Newcrest. It was time for a change!
Merri did a little bit of roaming around, keeping an eye out for both Samantha and the other ranger. He wasn't nearly as nice as she'd thought, it turned out. Merri grinned to herself, thinking, "Though sometimes it's handy to have him nearby when I'm haggling prices!" Last time he'd been in such a hurry to get her out of the lodge, he'd made up the difference for what she was asking out of his own pocket!
"Hello!" said a dark-haired woman, startling Merri. She'd been so busy thinking to herself, she hadn't noticed the woman walk up to her.
"I'm Bella Goth. I hope you don't mind, but I just had to introduce myself. Your look is so interesting!"
"Thank you!" Merri beamed.
"I was actually wondering if you'd seen my children around here. They love the unusual, and may have spoken with you?" Bella's voice lilted up, hopefully.
Merri shook her head, "No children, but I saw a blonde lady earlier! Her shoe was untied and I was waving at her to let her know, but she didn't see me. Then! She stepped on the shoelace, and went right down into the mud, like this!" Merri motioned with her hands. "Mud everywhere!"
"She hurried off into the largest cabin, over there."
For some reason, this story sent Bella into gales of laughter. It seemed Merri had made a friend! They struck up a conversation, and Merri excitedly told her all about her plans for the future. Bella seemed quite impressed!
"Hey, there's the lady I was telling you about!" Merri pointed at a woman walking directly towards them. Instead of stopping or even detouring around them, the woman walked straight through their conversation as if they didn't exist, stone-faced the whole time.
"Don't worry about her, Merri. That's just Nancy being Nancy. Though she did look particularly sour when she saw you." Bella's mouth quirked, "Not many people see Nancy fail at something... especially something like walking!"
"Hmm. Merri, did you say you were looking for a job? Have you ever seen Oasis Springs?" Bella asked her, with a sly look to the departing Nancy.
"Oooh, I saw it from the train window. I've never seen dirt so red before! Only I haven't collected quite enough to move on from here, yet," Merri sighed, but immediately perked up. "I'm sure I'll have enough soon. I think maybe another collection or two and I'll be able to afford it!"
"Perfect! Come with me, I'd like to introduce you to my husband. I might just have an idea!" Bella took off down the road, Merri hurrying to follow after.
***
Bonus picture:
Bella, do I have to talk to him right now? The bathroom is right over there!
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Find on my blog here: Elstree Prettacy - Chapter 3 - An Offer
***
Merriweather followed Bella towards the front of the lodge. There were two men standing in the front clearing; one a handsome man in a baseball cap, the other the ranger. An old impulse from her teenage years came to her, and she felt like sneaking up on the ranger and scaring the pants off him!
"If I came around towards the side..." Merri started to plan, but stopped. Bella had been so nice, and if she had an idea then Merri didn't want to spoil it with any of her pranks. Ideas were important.
Instead, following Bella's lead, she walked up to the men and waved as Bella introduced her.
"Mortimer, this is Merriweather Elstree. I think she might be the solution to that little issue we were talking about last night." Bella completely ignored the appraising, sidelong looks the ranger was giving her. She was quite used to it.
"Really?" Mortimer took his wife's hand and kissed it, then turned keen eyes on Merri. "What are your skills? What subjects have you studied?"
"I can throw a mean pitch in baseball," the ranger interjected.
Mortimer looked at her expectantly, without a glance toward the ranger. Before Merri could open her mouth, Bella nudged her.
"Merri, tell him about your childhood accomplishments, like you told me earlier. She had a most unconventional upbringing, darling."
"Oh, first I was a whiz kid, and I breezed through those challenges along with any homework!" Merri's confidence was back in full force. "My dad bought me a science table, and I made all sorts of experiments! After I mastered those skills and became 'mentally gifted', I noticed how much fun my sister was having making paintings, so I decided to be artistic too!" Mortimer looked intrigued, so Merri continued, "I didn't quite finish it before my teen years, but I learned all I needed. This one time, I created this machine... it looked like a beautiful flower, but when people stopped to smell it, a pie hit them in the face!"
Reflexively, Bella's hand flew up as if to ward off a pie, but she kept her smile. "From what Merri told me earlier, she became a bit of a prankster as a teenager. Her plans for the future are rather... interesting." Bella and Mortimer exchanged glances. "She also had a run-in with Nancy Landgraab this morning. I'd say feathers were ruffled."
"This is an interesting turn of events." Mortimer straightened the cuff on his pullover, somehow giving the impression of sophistication even in outdoor clothes. "So, Merri, you say you enjoy creating... let's call them, 'unique' items? How would you like to..." Mortimer leaned in and whispered in her ear.
The ranger, still thinking about pie, completely missed hearing the rest of the conversation, which turned out to be a good thing.
His regained his composure just in time to hear Merriweather's perhaps slightly overconfident, "I could do that in my sleep! You've gotta deal!" The ranger sighed. Life wasn't fair, no one ever offered him anything!
In no time at all Merriweather gathered up her meager belongings, said goodbye to Ranger Samantha and the hermit, and was ready and waiting at the train station. She couldn't believe her luck. This time she wasn't jumping the train, but had a full-paid sleeper car all to herself! She paid for nothing -- Mortimer gave her what he called "a signing bonus", plus offered her a free month's stay at a company outpost.
Once on board the train she found a small suitcase waiting for her. "A few essentials," the note read, with a little heart that flowed into the word, "Bella."
"New clothes!" Merri exclaimed, rubbing the soft, shiny material to her cheek. She thumbed through the rest of the contents. Make-up, shampoo, perfume, undergarments, bubble bath and dark chocolate candy. Merri spritzed the perfume around the train car. Oh yes, she could get used to Bella's essentials!
When she disembarked, Merri found a car service waiting for her. A car service! For her! The driver handed her a briefcase.
"For tomorrow," he said brusquely.
"How do I open it?" Merri asked, looking for the latch. The driver held up his thumb. "Ooooh," she cooed, examining what she now realized was a thumb print panel. She'd never seen one of these before! But how did he have her prints already? Merri shrugged, and put her thumb to the pad. It didn't open! She looked up at the driver inquisitively.
"For tomorrow," he repeated.
Crestfallen, she set the briefcase back down. That mood didn't last for long, as they turned the corner and Merri saw her new house for the first time. It was gorgeous!!
"My new house!" Merri texted her sister. "Wish you were here!"
Next time:
Plum this stupid toilet!
Author's note: The house/trailer is from the gallery, though I made a few changes to it. It's called "Trudis Bollerwagen" by goldie1604
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> I wonder where Merri's gonna go after Granite Falls...
me too! This prelacy is awesome