Week 13 Day 4: Teens are teens

Maccaroni Island's oldest resident, Bianca Blumington, is still going strong! Today she turns 127 simdays old. She is the only person from the original 4 couples who is still alive. Perhaps not alive and kicking, but up north she manages to go through the day, from cursing the Holy-Moly man, to feeding the cats.

Now that Bianca's granddaughter Graica Greench moved out to marry, she is left with her son, Alfonso Blumington, who is still single. This morning they went for a walk.

Bolan was Bianca's beloved hubby.

While Rita and Roger Redward, Yvonne and Yespar Yea-Low, as well as Greta and Gabriel Greench, all were resting near the mausoleum, Bolan Blumington was burried in the back of the graveyard.

Bianca does have plenty of grandchildren [Blumington family tree], but none of them will be Blumingtons by name.

And Alfonso walked up to the fishing pond in the mountain.

Today it was teens' day at school. Teens gather for education and skill building twice every week, and kids do gather twice as well.

Corinne Y. Redward is still stopping by a few hours most days to assist and inspire the young residents. But she had to admit it was getting harder now that the group of teens counts 13! The larger group, the bigger chance that some teen would not behave.

Gastor and Marvin Hamming are twins, sons of Constance R. Hamming, who is Randal Redward's sister, and Corinne's neighbours in the western region. Constance operates the local Consignment Store, and she is also the one with a dog named Cairo.

Gastor is Corinne's favorite pupil, while his twin brother Marvin is the opposite.

Ah, 12 teens in one room. Only the 13th, Amadeus Hawk, Agnes' oldest boy, is missing, but he never attend classes.

The right section pictured above is (from front) Yesador Yea-Low, Gastor Hamming, Marvin Hamming, Godrian Greench, Carla Black and Bonita Black.

The left section pictured below shows (from front) Richelle Yea-Low, Yvilla Redward (Corinne's daughter), Boletta Greench, Eileen Greench, Evita Hedgewall and Blanca Peel.

Boletta Greench, wearing a green jacket, found her cousin Marvin quite amusing, but they don't have much contact. She is not the one to step out of her comfort zone, she worries a lot that the boys hardly notice her. There isn't really many she could marry anyway, not related. Now she has a small hope that Yesador Yea-Low might like her. Boletta thinks he looks nice, and she knows he is sort of a loner, too. She was watching him all day without his knowledge.

Blanca Peel is a good girl, but Corinne knew she could also be quite a problem at times. Not as bad as Marvin Hamming, though.

Boletta Greench was hanging out with her sister Eileen and their cousin Blanca Peel. From there, Boletta could still see Yesador. He was busy discussing some subject with their teacher.

Dream on, boy...

Boletta isn't dedicated to farming, but she likes to help at the farm.

Yesador ea-Low was coming over...

Blanca had no idea she was just about to grab the only guy Boletta had a crush on.

That's called bad luck, Boletta...

After school, Gastor Hamming and Godrian Greench ran over to the graveyard. They wanted to find a good place for watching tonight's fireworks. Reynar Yea-Low had produced some fireworks, and nearly every night he planned sending them up over Maccaroni Mountain. It was done in the hope of making contact with the other world. Hopefully a ship would notice.

But the island is full of trees, and the top of the mountain can't be seen from just anywhere.

In fact they could not see the top. They would need to move farther away from the mountain.

Next to Greench Farm there is a smaller hill top, with sparse vegetation, only. The farmers of the southern region call it Sugar top.

Suddenly they got aware of a crying voice...

What did she just say, what was a set up? Anyone who followed this story from the beginning will recall how the young and naive Bianca trusted that her hubby had arrange nearly everything that happened, even the storm that brought them to the little island. Godrian and Gastor had naturally no such knowledge of the past.

The boys walked over to the Sugar top.

At 4 Greench Farm, Carie was out working the café, Albert was looking after the kids, and Blanca was busy with her homework. Today's subject had inspired her. Becoming a bartender would be nice, but maybe there was also other ways to make money that she had not yet thought of.

Blanca was excited for the date with Yesador Yea-Low. He is a good looking guy, a little too red perhaps, but who cares about skin colour anyway. Blanca's cousin Yophiel Hedgewall was bright green!

Gabriella is sort of caught in the middle, between her older sister Blanca who has begun controlling her own life, and the toddler Gerda, who gets all the attention from mom and dad. Maybe life will be more fun when Gerda grows up?

Still in the southern region, it's time to stop by at Cody and Rosanne's place, at 11 Rounder Lane. On the picture below, the Sugar top is seen to the right, while the main mountain is located to the left, just outside the picture.

Rosanne was looking for her husband. They just had a son, Rafael, and Rosanne being the snob she is, spends much time trying to improve their humble home.

According to Law and to traditions, a child moving out is entitled to its heritage shortly after moving out. But we all know that Randal Redward's universe is a little different...

Rosanne walked over to Redward Ranch. She moved out just a few simdays ago, but it felt like much longer. There was a new horse she had never met, and the path was decorated with new plants from Cody's production.

Randal Redward, Rosanne's Father, was at home.

Randal's problem is to find a way to secure the family heir. Yamir was not very interested in taking over the ranch, and Yvilla was simply not tough enough to bring on the Redward family standards. Randal had no intention of giving out parts of the assets until he knew who the main hair would be.

Up north, at 4 Black Heights, Bella Black was busy painting, while Bonita and Carla snuck out.

Seems like most of the teens planned to watch the fireworks. Not a lot is happening on the island that could interest them, so the first attempt to shoot up fireworks from the mountain, sure was a major event.

It had started! But the first firework turned out to be just a vague poof of smoke. But then...

Now, would it be noticed from a distance? The lights hangiing on the sky for a few seconds, would it be enough to grab a ship captain's attention? Or was it just a shot in the dark?

More in a short week!

Week 11 Day 5: Fathers revenge

The Maccaroni population had already grown used to the volcano. After all it was always there, and it never erupted. It was too difficult to imagine how an eruption would be like. Although the volcano was still letting go of a pile of dark smoke, in most locals' minds an eruption was highly hypothetic. The Village Council had read up, and Alex in particular had tried to learn some chemical as well as geological subjects - being an Inventor certainly made the reading worthwhile. If only Yespar Yea-Low was still around, he would understand the nature of the volcano much easier because he would have knowledge from the other world.

Early this morning, at 9 Yea-Low Ring, one of Joe Hawk's original wild dogs stopped by. His name is Dooshee, and he is now very old. His dog mate, Mathilda, was too old for puppies, so Dooshee walked the village for other candidates to pass on his genes. Before the family woke up, the Yea-Low's dog Libby invited Dooshee to join her in the dogs house. Libby was one of Cairo Hamming's first puppies. She had no puppies earlier, and she found it was on time because the house owners had TWO cats already, and any dog would agree that a house should always have more dogs than cats...

Well, old Dooshee walked back home to his wife, Mathilda, and Libby laid down to rest.

A little later the family woke up. Alex Yea-Low wanted to show something to his wife Dorothy.

Old Gabriel Greench had created four garden gnomes, giving one to each region's main house. They were naturally painted to match the colours red, yellow, green and blue. Something to be passed down the generations? The reactions were mixed, but still polite.

A busy day was coming up for all.

Dorothy got ready, had a piece of bread with some fruit from the Greench Farm, and then rushed off for work. Her brother Randal Redward was resting in the only patient room at the Health Care center. She worried for his mental conditions, as his head could have been damaged when falling off his horse few days earlier.

Oh... he was no longer there!

In the center of the village, Agnes Y. J. Hawk accidentally ran into Bridgette B. Greench.

The two women hardly knew each other. Bridgette was basically a social person although she could be shy at certain occasions, while Agnes worked at the graveyard when not hiding at home. And in the background Randal is leaving the Health Care center - Dorothy just about missed him!

Bridgette had heard about Agnes marrying the old Joe Hawk, and having two kids. She just had to ask how things were going.

Agnes had nearly forgotten all about how Beetle brought home the serum, she never really asked him where he got it. They had poured the serum into Joe's coffee, to trick him to bed and make him believe he made Agnes pregnant. Recently someone had obviously tricked Agnes in the same way. Agnes suddenly got a rather mean idea, she was looking for a way to get rid of her old man...

Agnes left and Bridgette noticed Randal Redward walking by. He was not properly dressed, and it might look like he just left the Health Care center in a hurry.

Randal enjoyed when locals contacted him like this, expecting him to solve their case. After all he was head of their community, and he would of course do his best.

Bridgette noticed how Randal Redward didn't look quite well. For a second she regret involving him at all.

Randal got the weirdest expression on his face, and Bridgette stepped back.

Meanwhile, the little Hedgewall family had attended the school library, in order to read. They have a toddler and a baby, and Beatrice is pregnant with their third child. She had expected the place to be busy, because currently there is actually a good number of kids and teens on the island.

Yoseph loves to read, and he still dreams of becoming a writer. He works a few hours daily at Our Delightful Bookstore. He was surprised, too, that no kids used the school library.

Following Yvonne Yea-Low, Constance R. Hamming had assisted the kids for a few years, but when she inherited the Consignment store, there was no time left for teaching. Beatrice wanted to suggest that Yoseph could replace Constance Hamming, but it might be even better if Yoseph brouht the subject up for the Council - was it time to have a regular school?

So, if Reynar and his younger brother were not at the school library, where were they? In the mountain of course, they had climbed up to their secret light project. The volcano was pretty far off, and it had calmed down greatly. The two boys were not afraid to go up there.

Reynar was a pretty good big brother, and the two boys spent quite some time together. Especially on the secret project. By opening the top of the huge box, a mirror would reflect sunlight, sending a tall line of light up into the sky. It worked best during sunset, when the sun still had some power, and the sky got darker so the light line was easy to see.

If a big brother climbs into a volcano, wouldn't a little boy follow? Was this really Reynar's plan?

Randal had finally reached his destination, 5 Redward Heights, his dead parents' home. Back on the hospital bed, he had been thinking of ways to protest to the trial that his excluded brother Christopher recently initiated and partly won. According to law, protests must be raised within 7 days, and today was Randal's last chance. Then he realized that he never searched through books and papers that his parents left behind, for some written testament making it clear that Christopher was totally cut off from inheriting them.

He searched, but found no testament. Instead Randal found a note with his Father's handwriting. It was some sort of a schedule, saying stuff like Remove all pay items. Call Joe to check noise at Warehouse. Call someone to randomly run into Joe near the Warehouse.

Randal had forgotten those details! His dead Father, Roger Redward, had removed pay items that was placed to pay the community for using the Warehouse facilities. And he had tried to make Joe Hawk standing out as a suspect. The plan was never fulfilled, but now Randal would finally complete it!

After all Joe Hawk must have stolen those matches on the first day when the settlers arrived Maccaroni Island. Randal did not remember anything of that, but had been told regularly, how the matches that his Father had left to dry, after swimming over here, suddenly were gone! He thought it was Joe Hawk all along.

The matches, as well as the Warehouse thefts, would be a great addition to the Serum theft! And Randal's Father would finally have his revenge! Ironically, Randal would make sure that Christopher would help completing the task. Christopher worked regularly at the House of law, it would be his duty to arrest Joe Hawk.

Bridgette Greench had promised Randal half of any money from winning a trial, after covering the obvious serum costs. Still Randal wasn't satisfied. If he could only find some testament to nail Christopher! Why didn't Father, or mom, write it down?

He noticed the old photo on the wall, showing the four elderly settler women. Bianca Blumington, Yvonne Yea-Low, Rita Redward and Greta Greench. Randal's mom in front, as always. They all posed in front of the old community administration hut, before it was replaced by today's Village Hall.

Randal wondered if his mom, Rita Redward, could actually see him now. If she could, he knew she would try to help him. She could very well be in this room, trying to point him to the spot where they hid the note he was looking for. Maybe they didn't write it on a piece of paper? Paper was rare back then. Maybe they wrote it on a piece of wood?

Randal cuddled up on the tiny couch. He liked this room. In a short while Yamir would grow up and take over the Redward Ranch, then Randal and Corinne could move in here... across the road...

Then he fell asleep.