The Witch's Tale

Don't Try to Fix What Isn't Broken

Kris and Rebecca were well settled in by now in the new house, and their relationship was growing in ways they had not expected. Each of them would often wonder when it would be appropriate for one of them to take the lead and push things on to the next level of marriage. There really wasn't a question of whether or not it would happen ... More or less a question of when. They still never brought it up with each other and continued to avoid the inevitability of it.

The previous day had been beautiful, and the family had enjoyed the warm weather hanging out in the back yard. The next day storms were rolling through and threatened any chance for an outing. Kris and Rebecca had both gone to work on their books prior to Hanna waking up, and they had decided that it would probably be a good workday for the both of them.

Hanna finally woke up, and they split duties as far as getting her fed, and then dressed and ready for the day. It's like she knew it was going to be an inside day and quickly found a way to entertain herself. Occasionally the purple dinosaur just had to give way to the doll house. When her parents working just feet away at the dining room table, they were still poor conversationalists. Hanna liked to talk, so Mr. Green Shirt got an earful.

Rebecca still had a lot of work left to finish in her current masterpiece Crossing the Threshold, but Kris was close to wrapping up Little Feet, Big Dreams and getting it ready to send off to the publishers. He skipped his regular afternoon workout and pushed right through until he was done shortly before dinner and took some time to play with Hanna.

 Kris commented to Rebecca that he didn't know whether or not he would start on a new project after dinner or just find something to do with Hanna around the house when she did her workout that evening. Rebecca offered another idea ... "We have plenty of workout equipment upstairs ... And there is a crib, toy box and play area in the corner of the room ... Why don't we just take Hanna up there this evening and we can both get a workout, since you skipped yours earlier today?

I mean it's not going to bother Hanna ... She is fine figuring out what she wants to do. It might be a good idea to make sure the purple dinosaur gets up there and then back down, but I don't see a problem with her being there. Plus ... She can get to see what we do when we disappear and I don't see any harm in that."

Kris thought about it for a moment and as usual could not think of decent reason to disagree. He wondered why it hadn't crossed his mind.

He figured it out while they were upstairs and talked to Rebecca about it ... "Yeah, I don't know why I didn't think of this ... But it goes back to the Service, where everything has an order to it and an underlying plan. A lot of people think it is the institutionalization of Service Members for the purpose of uniformity alone, but that's not really why.

It's just like repetitive and redundant training ... It's not done because they want you to become something you aren't. You do things over and over again ... And follow a certain plan repetitively, so when **** hits the fan, your world doesn't fall apart. You can more easily access the knowledge you need to survive on the spot almost without having to think about it. It keeps you out of a zipper bag and someone from having to contact your next of kin.

I like our routines around here, and they have made me more comfortable easing back into the Real World ... I know what to expect without having to think about it. Still ... Over time I have noticed your way of approaching things looking for a best solution to serve us all. You can cut through some of the clutter and get to the point ... And that most definitely is 'on mission'. I didn't think about changing the plan, just tried to adapt to the changes within the scope of the plan ... And you did a better job of that."

Rebecca just giggled and came back with ... "Oh please, stop it ... I was just being selfish. If you start skipping workouts regularly, you're going to get the daddy belly, and we won't be having that if we don't have to."

Summer had finally turned the corner and the next day the family decided to visit the Festival Grounds. It was still early in the season and there weren't too many people present. As they pulled up Rebecca noticed the Riverhawks were there ... The whole family including Nicholas, Hanna and their son Gene. Rebecca knew that Kris wouldn't pass up the opportunity to chat with anyone ... But warned him ... "Watch out for that one ... Hanna Riverhawk is a witch but not like me. She is a bit more careless with her magic ... Enough that I have an elixir waiting for her in a chest back home. Just like our Hanna ... I gave it to her, and I can take it away."

As Rebecca put Hanna down in the shade, she glanced over at Gene crawling away. Gene was a good bit older than Hanna although they were both still toddlers, and he was still crawling. Hanna was walking and talking by now ... She hardly ever shut up, and sometimes it was all Kris and Rebecca could do to keep up with her.

Kris had started chatting with big Hanna ... Little Hanna got up and started following Rebecca over to where they were. Once little Hanna had figured out that her parents weren't going on an adventure without her, and Gene didn't want to play, but had crawled off somewhere ... Little Hanna remembered she had the purple dinosaur.

Big Hanna was all excited and filling Kris in about what was going on with her ... "Oh you wouldn't believe it ... I have an art show opening soon at the A.J. Willow Art Center. I finally got Jessica to let me hold one there, and I am so excited ... You guys need to get a babysitter for Hanna and come. I think I have some really good stuff, and you might find something you like for the new house."

Kris responded ... "That sounds great and I have seen some of your work, we will have to make a point to stop by. Although ... We will probably bring Hanna with us. She hasn't been to the art center, and she'll probably love it. You should bring Gene with you, and the two of them can have some fun."

Hanna was a little weary of that idea ... "Oh no ... There's going to be some buyers and collectors coming in from Bridgeport, and I am going to need to be on top of my game. If Nicholas cannot manage to get the night off at the Bistro, I'll just get Sandra to come by the house and watch Gene ... She's awesome and takes care of everything when we need her. I am sure she wouldn't mind watching Hanna too.

Y'all need to come and spend a little time out with the grown-ups. It will be fun, and Jessica is thinking about an open bar and maybe some music if Fransica can manage to talk the quartet into it. Nicholas is making some of those fancy finger foods ... They are just awesome, and almost worth the trip themselves."

Rebecca chimed in ... "By the way, I did see Nicholas here, where did he and Gene head off to? I wanted to congratulate him on his promotion to head chef at the Bistro, everyone in town has been talking about how good the food is there now."

Hanna replied about the time purple dinosaur disappeared again ... "Oh, they're both around here somewhere I am sure ... But hey, I noticed Hanna was walking, and geezers, can that girl talk or what? I see she has the powers too and it's going to be great the two of you learning that together.

I am pretty sure Gene has them too, but he is just a little booger ... Always crawling off and getting into things. It's so exciting watching him sometimes, and Nicholas and I don't want to stifle his desires to discover things. Probably nothing like the boot camp y'all have going on with Hanna, and she is going to be a handful."

Kris laughed ... "Boot Camp, huh ... I wish ... Hanna is pretty much the General by now. We don't have to tell Hanna what to do ... We just make sure she knows what is available and show her that she can climb mountains if she wants to. She figures a lot of stuff out on her own ... We just try to give her the best tools to work with."

Kris and Hanna kept chatting with casual conversation ... But Rebecca was past her limit of nonsense, noticed Gene had crawled off into the road and thought it might be a good idea to coral him back to where Hanna was playing.

Kris and Hanna did finally notice that Rebecca had wandered off to collect Gene, and their conversation faded a bit before Hanna wandered off a little disgruntled. Rebecca put Gene down near Hanna and turned towards Kris.

Kris started to say something ... "Becca ... I don't ..."

Rebecca cut him off ... "Oh, don't start ... You know better and I don't need to explain myself ... Now come here and give me a kiss."

Little Hanna wanted to play with Gene, but he was more interested in some flowers a little further away than the purple dinosaur. Rebecca took a 'time out' while Kris scooped up Gene and they played for a little while ... "Hey buddy ... I bet you wish you had wings. I know I wish I had wings sometimes" ... Followed by airplane noises, and a short journey towards the sky.

A little later they had all gravitated towards the picnic tables. Big Hanna had disappeared, and the guys were about to have some fun seeing who could eat the most hot dogs the fastest. Rebecca was watching the kids while eating a snow cone and thinking ... "Well at least Nicholas knows where Gene is ... But I am not too sure Gene isn't going to discover some hookworms if he doesn't stop eating that dirt. Oh, stop being ugly ... You've got nothing to complain about, and to each their own I guess."

Little Hanna giggled ... "Poof ... Bye-bye Mr. Dinosaur ... See you in a second."

After the contest Nicholas and Gene headed out, while Rebecca came to congratulate Kris on his victory. They were getting ready to pack things up and head home as there wasn't much more for them to do there and the Festival Grounds were rather dead at the moment.

Rebecca looked over at Hanna and asked Kris ... "I know I get in my moods sometimes ... But do you think we are really doing what is best for Hanna?"

Kris' answer was direct and to the point ... "Becca ... If I didn't, I would tell you. However ... If there is one thing I can say about what I learned the hard way ... You cannot fix the world and everything in it. We will take care of ourselves and Hanna ... We will open doors for her ... We will teach her to be independent and not worry about what hangups other people have. 

We're not perfect and have certainly had our struggles ... We will teach Hanna that everyone fails from time to time. We will also teach her to get back up when she fails, learn from her mistakes ... And not to let it ever be an excuse to stop trying.

She is going to be okay ... And we are going to do everything we can to help her ... But that doesn't mean we are going to do everything for her, and she will learn to stand on her own two feet. All we can do is show her what it can be done, and to keep at it ... That's our job.

Don't try to fix what isn't broken ... She's a good girl, and we may be capable of being good parents ... But in the long run, she might even teach us a thing or two."

Happy Simming ... 💖

Late Night Visitor

It had been raining for days, but that meant both Rebecca and Kris had plenty of time to work on their books. Kris had been working on a series but closed it out after the fourth book titled Unsaid. It had jumped quickly to the Best Seller's list following the previous Hit in the series When Caring Is Not Enough. After fully wearing out that couple, with no great place to take them from that point, Kris had opted to write a stand-alone novel Blue Skies about a newlywed couple who had inherited a small and struggling airline.

Rebecca had hit a slam dunk with her latest masterpiece The Climb ... A Best Seller breaking all previous records, bringing her count in Best Sellers to 25. Added to an equal number of Hits, her royalties check on her last 12 books, bumped up to a little over a quarter of million a week. There was some buzz going around that she might be nominated for the Simzler's Literary Award in the Self-Help Category. Remarkably ... Rebecca decided to take a break from writing for a little while.

Hanna had heard her mom and dad talking about the books and was happy for her parents ... "When I grow up, I am going to be writer just like you and daddy."

Rebecca responded ... "I bet you would be a good writer if you work at it like your daddy and I ... I mean you already help me figure out things to write about. But you might not know now what you really want to do when you grow up. You might want to be a singer, maybe a scientist ... You might even want to go to the moon."

"Whatever you do, it is going to take practice and studying if you want to be good at it ... You still have a lot of things to learn. Bring Mr. Dinosaur and let's go read a book ... I have a great book all about colors and shapes. You'll have to tell your daddy what you learned later."

Summer had set in, and the weather had changed to brighter days, offering some fun in the sun time. Most of the time Rebecca and Hanna would piddle around the yard or go to the park at Meadow Beach. It wasn't far and there were plenty of things for the two of them to investigate there. Kris was still working, but Rebecca had decided to just spend some time with Hanna.

Rebecca had tried a little more painting, but she still was enthused about it. She did a lot of fishing and kept the family well stocked in supplies. Hanna followed her around and was a really good girl most of the time. Rebecca felt blessed that Hanna could find ways to entertain herself without getting into trouble.

One night, Kris and Rebecca heard something outside and Kris went to investigate. By the time he made it out of the house and to the road, it was too late. Someone had stolen their vehicle ... Kris was understandably upset but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. He went back upstairs, and Rebecca had already fallen back asleep ... He didn't even wake her up to tell her what had happened and it would wait until the morning.

The next morning Kris told her about their vehicle being stolen and they gazed out at the yard. Kris wanted to say something, but nothing would make things much better.

Rebecca just sighed ... "What a bummer."

Kris followed with ... "Yep ... We're going to have to buy a new one. I doubt they'll catch the thief before they get rid of it."

Rebecca giggled ... "No ... It's raining and I was going to take Hanna to the park today. I don't care about the vehicle."

Kris couldn't believe it ..." Are you crazy woman ... Someone stole our stuff and that's not right? How can you not be more upset and what do you mean you don't care?"

Rebecca turned to Kris ... "Settle down baby ... It's not right, and I wish it hadn't happened ... But you're fine, Hanna is fine, and getting mad about it won't change anything. We'll probably never get it back ... We'll just file a police report and let the cops do their job ... And like it or not, we can afford a new one.

Just thank goodness Mr. Dinosaur wasn't in it ... If that had been the case, we might actually have a problem."

It still didn't sit well with Kris, although nothing Rebecca had said was incorrect.

By the following morning the skies had cleared, and the dealership had delivered another vehicle to the house. It was almost identical to the previous one except it did have Rebecca's Lacuna Coil CD in the CD player. Kris decided to go to town and file a police report, and rest of the family decided that was good enough excuse to see what was happening in town.

While Kris was busy in the police station, Rebecca noticed Pierce Shawkti was coming out of the grocery store. She had heard Sydney had given birth to a baby girl and wanted to congratulate the new grandfather. She soon found out that Pierce was kind of unsettled by the whole ordeal.  He was pleased with the new baby and glad it was healthy, but he didn't know what had happened or anything about the father. He was not entirely thrilled with all of the situation, but he didn't want to alienate Sydney ... He just didn't know what to do. He asked Rebecca if she could help, commenting that she had been through a similar situation recently.

Rebecca tried to be supportive ... "I understand Pierce ... And not coming down hard on Sydney at the moment is something I think is the right choice. She has some decisions she needs to make and a baby to take care of ... Those should be her top concerns, and I imagine she knows how you feel about it, even if you haven't told her.

My father wasn't so supportive, took a different stance and approach, and we still haven't completely worked things out. I'll talk to Sydney and see if there is anything she needs, even if it is just to talk. I don't know how much good it will do, but I'll let her know she can call on me if she needs to.  In the meantime, you just need to love that baby, and that shouldn't be too hard for you."

Although nothing had really been solved, Pierce gave Rebecca a hug and thanked her for listening, as well as talking to Sydney when she got the chance.

A few moments later, Carl Abbot walked over from across the street ... He was the detective that had been assigned their case regarding the stolen vehicle. He asked Rebecca a few questions as a matter of routine, although there was little she could offer to help him out.

In the meantime, Hanna got the opportunity to introduce Hector Mendoza to Mr. Dinosaur. She liked Hector, he was funny, wore fancy clothes and smelled almost like flowers. Her mom and dad didn't always smell almost like flowers ... Sometimes they were kind of stinky after doing what they called working out.

The rest of the day was pretty much the same as always around the grocery store ... People coming and going but most with enough time to chat a little. Hanna met a few more people and liked hanging out at the grocery store ... So many people and things to see ... The park was fun, but the grocery store was busy.

As dusk was setting in and Kris was ready to head home, Anna Menon had cornered Rebecca. They stayed a little longer as Anna couldn't pass up the opportunity to interview Rebecca after the recent release of her book.

That evening after dinner when they were all upstairs ... Little Hanna surprised Rebecca barking orders as she was marching across the room ... "I'm finished on the potty ... You can stop dancing mommy and make it go bye-bye."

Rebecca turned towards Kris, pointed at Hanna, and asked with a comical look on her face ... "Oh My God ... Did you just hear that little monster telling me what to do?"

Kris stopped long enough to laugh, pointed at Rebecca and through a sideways grin replied ... "Oh, don't look at me ... She gets that from you."

Hanna then giggled running in circles with her arms up and hands making claws ... "I'm A Monster ... RawwR."

Happy Simming ... 💖

Changes in Attitude and Latitude 

With the exception of a few visits from the local burglar(s), the Summer had been business as usual for Kris. He tended the small basement garden every morning, worked on his novels throughout the day, and fixed dinner for the family in the evening before family time in the exercise room. His novels had done well, and he was bringing in over 23,000 simoleons a week by mid-summer. His cooking had come along nicely as well, and he could put his cuisine up against just about anyone else's.

 Rebecca had opted out of working for rest of the Summer after accomplishing what few other authors had. She decided to spend more time with Hanna, or just relaxing for a while. Long days by the pond fishing ... And she was rocking a serious tan. Kris had noticed that Rebecca was becoming quieter around the house though. She still had fun with Hanna and her relationship with Kris was just getting stronger by the day ... But there was still something on her mind.

They would take regular trips to town together and spend the day doing whatever they could find. Kris had gotten to know many others in Hidden Springs, and like Rebecca, he didn't have a hard time making friends. Hanna was just as good, and almost everyone in town had met Mr. Dinosaur ... At least if she had met them.

Rebecca had also started training Kris in Sim-Fu regularly, usually on Saturdays at the Toyotama Hime Dojo in town. He was coming along nicely and could occasionally defeat her while sparring. Hanna would go with them, and she liked all the interesting things at the dojo. Kris did notice that Rebecca was serious about Sim-Fu and a difficult competitor. He saw things in her when they sparred that he hadn't seen before.  She didn't give any quarter or offer mercy on the mat ... He had heard that she was a Grand Master and it showed when she bowed before a bout and came out hard.

Summer also offered relaxing evenings for the family sometimes. They would often accept invitations to get togethers around town. With the two of them, conversation with the neighbors eventually went to books. That was work for them and they always tried to steer talk back to everyday life and asking about friends and family.

Anna Menon ran into Rebecca at Sebastian's house, and cornered her again for another interview, as rumors still lingered about her possible nomination for an award. Rebecca did her best to dismiss it ... She had never been writing for accolades. To her, it was just something she could do and earn money. She liked the fact that what she wrote sold ... But her last masterpiece had taken something out of her. She had poured her heart and soul into The Climb ... And she often wondered whether or not she could do that again.

Nearing the end of Summer, Rebecca got a call from her publishers. It seems the interim mayor of Hidden Springs and her publishers had gotten an idea to promote her and hold an event at the library. They wanted her to bring 3 first edition signed copies of her works to City Hall and then hold a dedication ceremony at the library. The publishers thought it might bring more light to her works, and the interim mayor was entering campaign season.

Rebecca was pleasant on the phone ... "Sure thing ... I have some around here, is there anything in particular you desire?"

The conversation went on a little longer as they made their requests, and Kris could hear at least her end of it. He was surprised when she hung up after pleasant goodbyes ... "Oh **** ... Now I am just a gravy train for the machine."

Kris figured there was something more behind all that but opted to leave it alone at the moment ... Something was bugging Rebecca, and it wasn't just the previous phone call.

They headed to into town the next day and Rebecca was prepared to deliver what had been requested. Kris decided he would go ahead and take Hanna across the street to the park while Rebecca took care of things in City Hall. Rebecca hadn't said a thing on the way to town and was a bit distant as he approached.

He asked as he took Hanna ... "Are you okay ... You seem a little off?"

Rebecca sighed and replied ... " It's nothing ... Just more crud. Let me go take care of this and make them happy. My goodness, I own the library, and if I had wanted to dedicate the books, I wouldn't need them to do it. They are just getting what they can out of it ... And there is a reason I didn't name the library after myself."

Kris understood ... "Oh, just shake it off, Becca ... I know it is bothering you, but don't let it. Hanna and I will be waiting for you in the park, and if not there, in front of the grocery store. We love you and that's all that matters."

That night, they had another visit from the burglar, and it went the same as usual. Kris had gotten one of those steering wheel locks to protect the vehicle, but now the burglar would make it inside and set off the alarm. They did everything they could to keep the burglar distracted and occupied until the police would show up ... But Officer Keisha Wyatts would walk right past the burglar to come tell them that they had gotten away again, and that she hoped the police would catch them next time.

Rebecca had already gone back to bed, and Kris had had enough ... "Why don't you just leave so I can go back to sleep ... Y'all are about worthless. I have photos of the burglar and Rebecca asked them for a DNA sample. Either give me a badge long enough to arrest them myself or get the heck out of here."

A few days later they had finished their work out and put Hanna to bed. They usually spent a little time together after showering and before they went to bed. Kris found Rebecca standing by the weight machine on his way back up, and again, she was somewhere else ... "Becca, you have to talk to me ... What are thinking? You have been in a mood for over a week, and something is the matter."

Rebecca shook her head and came back to the real world ... "No ... It's not you, Hanna, the house, my work or anything ... It's me. 

I lived pretty fast and easy for a while ... Travelled a lot before I dug in and started to actually accomplish anything. When I did dig in, it became habit forming. I didn't slow down ... I sped up ... But with more focus. Then I met you, we had Hanna ... And I am so thankful for that. 

I miss it though ... Running the trails ... Pushing the limits and exploring. It will pass ... Hanna will get older and no longer be under the travel restrictions. But sometimes I feel guilty and selfish ... Because I want to be back out there, badly."

Kris understood immediately ... It was that fire in her that had attracted him to Rebecca in the first place. He had dug in when he got to Hidden Springs, trying to catch up with her ... And although his life had changed, he was still running hard to keep up. Rebecca hadn't run out of steam ... She had hit a plateau that was understandable as much as unavoidable in the current conditions. It was affecting everything from her work to her mood ... She had stopped writing because she didn't have anything to write about. She had even started painting on rainy days just to pass the time ... And he was amazed that she was getting pretty good at that.

He offered her the only thing he could think of ... "A while back you mentioned that you wouldn't travel without us. Now ... I know you are aware that I think of myself as more than Hanna's babysitter. Becca ... If you need to go, take a trip ... We'll be okay and right here when you get back. I don't want you to go ... But I don't want you to be miserable either."

Rebecca just smiled and responded ... "Kris, I am not going anywhere without you, or Hanna for that matter. When I decided to have Hanna, I knew it wasn't going to be easy, and I would have to deal with this. It's a choice I made then ... And I don't want to start doing things that I know could turn into bad habits for me.

I want someone to share everything with ... Running alone was fun, but not enough. It's just part of growing up I guess ... Letting other people into your life, on their terms ... Or whatever it requires. We should be able to travel by mid-spring ... And if I don't drive the two of y'all crazy by then, we will all get to do something new."

Summer gave way to Fall ... And the family spent time together as usual. Rebecca continued to paint some, and Kris split his studies between gardening and learning how to make nectar. They enjoyed the comfort of knowing what they were looking at, as the love between Kris and Rebecca grew even stronger. Kris did add some foreign foods to their diet ... And they helped a little. Whenever Rebecca would start thinking about what she was missing ... Kris would break out a map, and they would start making plans.

Kris started making plans of his own ... He was going to ask her to marry him ... He had convinced himself that he was in it for the long haul.

Happy Simming ... 💖

Another Day in the Neighborhood 

A few things changed since we last touched base with Rebecca and her clan of misfits.

Trouble has been on the horizon with Rebecca's family in Hidden Springs and Bridgeport. Rebecca's father still hasn't come to visit or spoken to her since she dropped the bomb on her parents about being pregnant and deciding to have the baby. They are both equally stubborn and Rebecca won't give in and visit Bridgeport either. Her sister Marcy has been keeping their mother informed about how things are going, but a few more waves have recently crashed ashore.

Cal and Marcy moved out of their house leaving it for Ella and her husband Chris. Both couples had sons and things went okay for a while, with Marcy, Cal, Ella and Chris visiting Bridgeport on occasion to see the Keller parents/grandparents and simply catch up with friends in town. However, as things got worse between Rebecca and her father, he got closer to Cal. Eventually he decided to retire and move to the islands with his wife, offering Cal his import business in Bridgeport.

Chris liked the mountain air a little too much, got caught messing around on Ella, with Kathy Ragsdale, and the two of them split up. Not wanting to be away from her brother Cal, and not wanting to stay anywhere near Chris, she moved to Bridgeport with their baby, and into the Keller family house with Cal, Marcy and their son.

......

In other news Heather and Hurbert Ridley did actually get married again and against all odds are having a baby together. Best of luck to them this time around.

Meanwhile ... Things are still going fine with Rebecca, Kris and Hanna. Rebecca is really thankful and excited when thinking about the mess the rest of the family is going through. She doesn't want to keep her father at a distance forever, but he is just being a rear end about everything, and she decided not to give in this time. It had always come down to her admitting her mistakes and handling up on whatever her father may require. This time, she has no doubt she didn't make a mistake in keeping Hanna, and he can live with it or not as far as she is concerned.

As Fall settles in for the long run so does the family. Kris works on his novels and learning how to make nectar. Reb4ecca has grown fonder of painting as her skills improved, and they pretty much split the duties around the house and with Hanna equally.

The family gets out regularly and enjoys all the town has to offer. They all like meeting new people and finding new things to try out. The weather has been rather mild so far this season and there has been plenty of time to visit the festival grounds, as well as parks around town and even the grocery store from time to time.

Rebecca and kris have been chatting about where they visit first when Hanna is old enough to get past the travel restrictions and Rebecca has settled on China. In preparation, she and Kris spend at least a day each week at the local Dojo training in sim-fu.

They run into plenty of folks there as well. Things are looking up for the couple, and they just cruise along enjoying life. Carly is still single and not dating anyone anymore, and sometimes they will invite her over for dinner. They rarely go to parties anymore as they have settled into their routines. Kris and Rebecca both want to get back to traveling and it won't be too much longer until that becomes available again, if they don't mess around and end up with another child back-to-back.

Happy Simming ... 💖