This story has elements from every Sims game (including Medieval) and every expansion pack. Contains things that cannot happen in Sims.
Prologue[]
My family is strange and odd. My father's side consists of poor produce farmers that once lived in the mountains of Sunset Valley. My mother's side is the most troubling. Vampires, werewolves, witches both bad and good, PlantSims, and the occasional ordinary Sim. I tell my story of how I encountered my mother's ancestors right after meeting my father's family. Shall we begin?
Chapter 1: My Father's Family[]
Normally, when you get an invitation to your grandparent's cottage in the mountains, you think it's going to be a wonderous vacation. Well, for me it isn't. My dad's parents live in an old dusty place high up in Pinochle Point. I love them, but they wear shabby clothing and the air reeks of lettuce and the occasional wilting garlic plant. Grandma and Grandpa are my father's parents. Grandmother and Grandfather are my mother's. See the difference in formality?
I had driven up the mountain path myself in my Yomoshoto Evasion. All I had packed was a set of pajamas, my swimsuit, three books (A Magnetic Attraction, Unicorns for Audrey, and I'm Still Cool), and a gift for my grandparents: three watermelon seeds to plant. They were thrilled to add new plants to their collection. I loved the teeny cottage, but I enjoyed little to none of my stays there. As usual, I slept in the musty attic. I liked it and had bought some of furniture with the money I had earned by selling produce, working shifts at the bookstore, selling the items that my sister Kate stole from the Altos, the Goths, and the Landgraabs, and mooching huge amounts from Holly Alto. Some were from Grandma's old bedroom in the small cabin she had lived in as a girl.
Still, the attic was very simple and basic. My bed had white argyle bedding and I had a homespun styled lamp on a white flowered nightstand. There was an antique desk with a cheap computer and another homespun styled lamp. A cherry dresser stood in a corner. A short bookcase with one broken leg held a meager collection of volumes from my father's childhood. A Noble History of Socks, Llama Rights, Point Farmer: The Story of Grant Rodiek. You could tell by the three books in the bookcase that my father was a history nut. Emphasis on nut.
I put my clothes in the dresser and deposited the books into the bookcase. Suddenly, my cellphone rang. "Hi! Lilly here," I greeted the caller. "Greetings," a sinister female voice answered. With a dull sinking feeling, I replied. "Greetings, Grandmother. I hope you are doing well in Riverview. How is Grandfather?" I asked. I never spoke that way in real life. With my mother's family, I had to wear my best clothing and speak politely and formally. With everyone else, I could wear anything and speak normally. My mother had left Riverview and had married my father to get away from the stiff formalities.
"I am doing well, Lillian. Your Grandfather is away on business. You know how charismatic politicians are. Flighty and unpredictable. So, how is Mayflower?" Grandmother purred gently. "Mother is doing just fine. Father has just gotten a promotion. Isn't that wonderful? How is Clarice?" I chirped. Clarice was the live-in maid that served my grandparents. She had served them since she was a child. Her family also lived there.
"My,my. My worst nightmare has come true. Your mother has taught you to despise the teachings I have bestowed on you. How many times have I told you to not be familiar with people under your station?" Grandmother scolded. I smiled slyly. I composed myself and forced a polite, yet forceful reply. "I apologize profusely, but I assure you that Mother has done none of the sorts. As you already know, she tries to disassociate anything from you away from her. I speak on my mother's humble behalf," I argued softly.
I could hear Grandmother pushing in her chair as she got up. "That is it! I am coming over this instant! Tell your mother that I am going to stay over for one week and make her explain!" she trilled sharply. I heard a click and she was gone. I hung up and hastily packed. I was sure Grandma and Grandpa didn't mind. I was right. They told me maybe another time and kissed me goodbye. I drove quickly, almost speeding. I sprinted up to my door and walked in on a major romantic session between Mom and Dad. They finished their make-out action and turned to me, looks of amusing shock etched on their faces. My words nearly gave them a heartattack. "Grandmother and maybe Grandfather are coming to stay for a week!" I screamed.
Chapter 2: Their Visit[]
I looked at my new everyday outfit. It was a mint green silk dress that came to midcalf. It was not like I hated it. I liked it. Especially with the pearly white heels and the simple silver necklace. I knew that Grandmother would approve of it. The bow on the front would make sure of it. I put my hair in two braids with green plaid ribbons. My red hair made me look like an absolute leprechaun. My pretty, yet elfish face did nothing to prove my point wrong.
It was both Grandmother and Grandfather. Grandmother's full name (title included) was Contessa Hecate Delia Marie Delicourt Mandan. Grandfather's full name (title included) was Count Menalaus Conte Viktor Mercutio Mandan. They were the descendants of the royal family of SimNation when it had been a kingdom. That meant that my mother's full name (title included) was Viscountess Mayflower Alice Rosalie Hecate Delicourt Mandan Williams. She had three last names. Delicourt (Grandmother's maiden name), Mandan (Mom's maiden name), and Williams (Mom's married name). When Dad married Mom, he was granted the title of Viscount. So he was Viscount Marcus Daniel Williams. Me? I am Baronetess Lillian Dawn Hecate Delicourt Mandan Williams. My sister, Kate, was Baroness Katherine Mayflower Darcy Delicourt Mandan Williams.
Grandmother looked over me with the strange expression that felt like she was x-raying me. I curtsied and smiled my most syrupy smile. Grandmother gave a curt nod and moved out of the way for Grandfather to appraise me. Grandfather looked over me and gave a queer frown. He shook his head slowly and turned when Grandmother started to speak. "Mayflower! I suspect that you are making your daughter a rebel. After you hid Katherine away from me and raised her to behave like a peasent, I expected you to give your last child to me! I was right. You are an unfit mother," Grandmother stated with a calm ferocity.
Mom was livid, furious even. "Me? An unfit mother? You are to speak! You raised me to be a lady of high class and grace, but I have experience nothing but burdensome torture from your insane teachings!" she shrieked. I had never heard Mom blow her top before. Kate rushed down the stairs, her knee-length leather dress slowing her down. She cast down her eyes and curtsied. "Merry greetings, Grandmother and a happy salutation, Grandfather. I hope your visit is not wasted," she murmured tremblingly.
After an incident with Grandmother, Kate was never right again. She spoke softly and shook often. She would always be scared and whenever Grandmother visited, she behaved perfectly. Grandmother pursed her heavily lipsticked lips and tsked loudly. "See? Your eldest daughter is a cowardly simpleton because a strict upbringing was taken from her by a witch of a mother. At least Lillian has some grace and etiquette," Grandmother argued. At the last part, her angered snakey voice had softened to a light purr.
Dad started to intervene. He took Mom away, probably to WooHoo. I led Grandmother and Grandfather to the basement. They would sleep there for their visit. I always found them odd. They never ventured out of the house except at night. They liked the cooking, but they would always finish off the meal by slurping liquid from a reddish orange carton. Sometimes, they would divide Plasma Fruits for us, but we always got sick from them. Mom was the only one besides her parents and, surprisingly, Kate who didn't gag on them.
I never knew that my maternal grandparents were vampires until I researched their odd lifestyle. I also found records of Mom's family. Turns out, most of her family were supernatural creatures like werewolves, PlantSims, and witches. Only a few Normal Sims existed in her family, but only a handful survived their first weeks of marriage or birth. There was a legend that had sprung up about Mom's male relatives. The townsfolk said that the "horrible night monsters" lured pretty young women to their secret lairs, marry them, impregnate them, and kill them once the child had been born. The rumor had been born when sixteen women had been found dead in the park and ten of them were wives of the Mandan men. The other five were women that were romantically involved with the Mandan men. All of them women bore signs of recent birthing. On the last few pages was my family tree. I was horrified. The last entry had been written down had been written just fifteen years ago. That entry was my name. My full name was written in Grandmother's elegant scrawl. Each letter was deep bloodred ink. Kate's name was right beside mine. Her name had been hastily scribbled on with grayish ink. It was Mom's handwriting.
Grandmother did hate Kate.
Chapter 3: Discovering[]
I quickly drove home from the library. I just had to know. I had just walked in when Grandmother slapped Mom. Hard. Dad was out working and Kate was at a friend's house. Grandfather was probably napping. I broke up the heated fight and settled them down. After I had served each with a cup of coffee and had them sit down, I asked questions.
"Grandmother. I want you to answer truthfully. Mother, I want you to not interrupt nor speak until I ask you to. Same applies to you, Grandmother," I explained. They both nodded. I cleared my throat and began. "Grandmother, are you and Grandfather vampires?" I inquired slowly. Grandmother smiled, her bright white teeth gleaming. "Yes. Yes we are. Smart girl!" she replied happily. Mom glared at her with anger that could only be matched by a dragon.
"Mother, are you a vampire?" I asked cautiously. She turned to me and her hot glare cooled to a forced smile. "No. I am half-vampire. I age and look like a Normal Sim. I don't have vampire weaknessess, but I can eat Plasma Fruits and drink Plasma Packs. I'm don't have the Thirst motive. I have the weird colored eyes. My natural blue and the vampires' red mixed and became purple." she sighed. I had always liked her violet eyes, but never questioned her about them. Grandmother coughed a tiny cough. I turned to her and gave her a polite glare and turned back to Mom. "Am I or Kate vampires?" I asked.
"Both of you have a little vampire blood. Kate can consume plasma products and Plasma Fruits, but like me, she doesn't need to. You have the pale skin and the reddish eyes. Your father's oaky brown washes it out though," Mom answered proudly.
Grandmother was livid. Her pale cheeks flushed a rosy pink. Her crimson eyes snapped meanly. Her lips pursed and her fingers curled into lethal fists. I turned to her before she could lose her cool. "Calm down Grandmother. This is only one side of the story. Can you tell me about our family?" I demanded.
Chapter 4: Surprises, Surprises[]
This is what I pieced together from what Grandmother explained about our family. The earliest account dates back to the year 1256.
Tambo and Tinka Nikita were two Llama Island natives who were stranded on the shores of what is now Pleasentview. They were swiftly taken care of. Soon after, they were thrown in prison. There, the couple was declared guilty of treason and trespassing and were sentenced to death. But, Tinka found that she was pregnant. Tambo was growing weaker. That year, a harsh winter came. Tambo died as Tinka gave birth to their child.
The child, a girl named Sharma, was a monster. She was a vampire. Everything from the crimson eyes and the pale skin told Tinka that she had given the world a monster. She quickly mastered the art of Good Magic and tried to cure Sharma of her vamperism. Sharma was incurable. She grew up in a fast pace. Once she had turned sixteen, she married the soldier that guarded her cell. Tinka was devastated. When Sharma announced that she was pregnant with the soldier's baby, Tinka set the cell on fire, hoping to kill Sharma, the unborn creature, and herself. The shock of the event caused Sharma to lose her baby. Tinka caught the flu and died the following spring.
Sharma later killed her husband after drinking from him. She drowned him in a pond in the mountains. One night, she was walking home when a dangerous gang assaulted and robbed her. They left her for dead in an alley. The next morning, a kind vampiress found her and nursed her back to health. She soon found out that she was pregnant. She remained with the vampiress, a cheery widow named Violet, for the duration of her pregnancy. She gave birth to a vampire-werewolf hybrid. She herself became infected by the baby's scratches. The baby, a boy named Nimee, endured taunts and was securely imprisoned. Sharma died in a mysterious accident.
Over the centuries, many species of magical creature married into my family. Always, the species tried to be the dominate one. The vampires are the reigning specie, followed by werewolves, Bad Witches, Good Witches, and Normal Sims. The only PlantSim left in my family is my distant cousin, Princess Rosalinda Marie Maslow. She is Emperor Maslow's daughter from a previous relationship with a deceased PlantSim.
Chapter 5: Grandfather's Time is Up[]
After the interrogation, it was time for dinner. As usual, Grandfather took out two Plasma Fruits and sliced them into halves. Then he emptied two Plasma Packs into two crystal wine glasses. The thick bloodred liquid glimmered. For us humans, we had Goopy Carbonara. We were discussing the weather when Grandfather excused himself. When he stood up, a mysterious white glow enveloped Grandfather. I was speechless as I watched him die right in front of my eyes. The Grim Reaper appeared from a cloud of sinister black smoke. Grandfather's white ghost begged and wept. Even Grandmother got to her knees to beg for his life. But Grimmy shook his hooded head. I watched Grandmother kiss Grandfather's brilliant white ghost before he dove into the shining gold urn. Dad and Kate stared at the urn with terrified expressions. Grandmother and Mom wailed endlessly. Grimmy shook his head sadly and disappeared.
I could only gawk. I tried to say something, but I would stutter something and become lost for words. Mom cried loudly, but Grandmother screamed with agony. Grandmother had lost her loyal soulmate of many centuries. I could feel her pain, but at a lesser degree. I wondered if I felt the pain, would my soul be ripped from my body. Mom shuddered to a stop and sniffled. She took out a black hankerchief from her coat pocket and hid her face. I could see that her lovely madonna face was sploched red. Grandmother howled one last time and slumped into a chair. She had fainted.
Kate and I helped drag her limp form into the basement to her coffin. We deduced that the silver one with the fuchsia velvet inside was hers. We tucked her in and closed the lid. Then we turned off the light and let her be. When we walked into the kitchen, Mom was sipping a cup of foamy chai and being massaged by Dad. We took the brilliant gold urn and buried it in our backyard. The tall grave was hidden by a weeping willow's long branches.
Chapter 5: Sorrow is Deep[]
For the first time, Grandmother was silent. She merely poked at the grilled Plasma Fruits that laid on her plate at breakfast time. Not even a warm Plasma Pack could tempt her. She sipped it a little and ate a few slices of the fruit before leaving and going back into the basement. Mom ate the rest of the fruit and gulped down the rest of the liquid. Then she washed the dishes. All day, Grandmother stayed in the basement. She didn't come up for meals. Mom was startled when she didn't come up for supper. She sprinted down the stairs. We heard a deafening BANG!!!!! and a bloodcurdling shriek. We ran faster than ever. Mom was gasping for air as strangled sobs enveloped her.
The coffin door hung off its brass hinges. Grandmother was laying inside, a peaceful look on her face. She was dead. One glance was all it took to tell me that the grand vampiress had passed away. She was dressed in her sleepwear: an elegant nightgown, gray tartan slippers, and her long shiny silver hair neatly crushed under her. Her olive skin was even more washed out. I wanted to scream as agonizingly as Mom did, but my lungs wouldn't allow it. I did my strongest shriek. It was like the scream of a girl being murdered in a horror movie. My chest ached and my lungs were pained from lack of air. I gulped oxygen down as fast as I could. One more gulp and I came back into reality.
It took just a day for it to happen. My mother's elegant nearly-immortal parents passed away in quick succession. According to law, Mom inherited the grand castle in Riverview in which Mom's family had owned for many generations. My mom kept it as a vacation home. After a brief service, we laid Grandmother to rest beside Grandfather.
Now, I live in a condo in Bridgeport while Kate lives in the big mansion. Mom's cousin, Prinoline, bought our house after Mom and Dad moved to a retirement home. It is Sunset Valley legend that on starry nights when the full moon is out, a shimmering ghostly elderly couple can be seen strolling down the street in front of my old house. I have see it thrice. It is rare to see them together. It happens every 4.6 years. It is common to see their ghosts, but not together. On stormy moonless nights, the sobbing ghost of Grandmother wails for Grandfather. On clear nights, Grandfather is seen napping under the willow tree, waiting for his love to appear.
The End