"What should we call this?"...the making of a Sims story
Sul sul, Simmers. It's the holiday season, and it seems like as good a time as any to share my humble attempt at Sims storytelling with all of you. My twelve-year-old daughter, Z, is my Sims bud...
Jamie Eldridge had seen how tired his mom had been lately. He knew she was sneaking naps at odd times of the day. And he’d seen her emerge from the bathroom, looking pale and shaken. He knew something was wrong, and although Marcia assured her son she was fine, Jamie didn’t believe her. Not for a moment.
Jamie understood why his mom might want to protect him from bad things. He’d watched his older sister fall and never wake up. He’d endured bullying and shaming when the thoughts of what he had seen scared him, when he couldn’t stop the tears those thoughts brought to his gentle, brown eyes.
She’s trying to take care of me. But who’s taking care of her?
While his classmate, Halle Ross, and her family were celebrating the First Day of Summer, Jamie was at home in his family’s apartment in San Myshuno, trying to go to sleep. He was exhausted, but the thoughts that swirled around his head wouldn’t leave him alone. Finally, he drifted off.
That’s when the voice spoke to him.
There is something you can do.
Jamie awoke with a start. He knew there was nobody in his room with him, and that the voice had to be inside his head. He sat up in bed, his heart pounding. The voice spoke again a few moments later.
You know where to go, Jamie. It’s time. Be courageous.
The next day was one of the last days of the year at Buckingham High School. Jamie got up, showered, and dressed. Both his parents left the apartment for their jobs before he did, so Jamie didn’t even need to pretend to go to school. He was determined to follow the voice’s instructions…but where was he supposed to go? The voice told him he knew this, but he didn't.
As if it had read his thoughts, the voice replied a moment later.
Glimmerbrook.
Jamie had never been to Glimmerbrook. In fact, he’d barely heard of it and, to be honest, he wasn’t sure if it really existed. A few of the kids at his school talked about it being a magical place, and when they did, others laughed at them behind their backs sometimes. So he was a bit surprised to discover he could travel there, and when he arrived, he was even more surprised to see how normal it looked. The area was beautiful, rugged and forested, with a stream winding through it. There were houses there, and what looked like a café.
Jamie took in the scenery around him for a few moments. It was a warm morning, but the sky was cloudy, and the hills in the distance were shrouded in mist. Jamie decided he liked Glimmerbrook.
But, now that he was here, what was he supposed to do? Should he wait for the voice to speak to him again? Would something manifest itself in front of him? He wasn’t sure. Within a few moments, though, he found himself walking slowly, but with purpose, in the direction of a house. The house was two stories, with gables and porches. As Jamie stood in front of it, a sense of peace came over him. He didn’t need the voice to tell him he was in the right place. https://i.imgur.com/DwLUMWL.png But, as he stood there, the voice spoke to him again.
Take the right path.
Jamie was puzzled. How do I know what the right path is?, he asked himself. He puzzled over this question for a few moments before it came to him.
He spotted a path, leading down to the bank of the stream. To follow it, Jamie would need to proceed around the right side of the house, as he stood facing it. The right path. He laughed and started on his way.
The path was wide, with light posts along the way. It followed a bend in the stream, and when Jamie rounded that bend, he saw a sight that made him stop in his tracks. Ahead of him was a carved stone arch, built upon a low platform. The opening in the arch was filled with glowing, swirling light: blue, green, and purple. https://i.imgur.com/bpr0job.png Jamie continued on his way, drawn to the arch as if an invisible hand was leading him. He forded the stream at a shallow spot, and walked up to the arch. https://i.imgur.com/ZOLzBTs.png It’s a portal, he thought. He had no idea how he knew this, but he did.
Jamie hesitated for a moment, and then he stepped through the portal.
Suddenly, the platform was bathed in a cool, blue-purple glow. This is dope, Jamie thought. Then he did what many Teens would do in such a situation. He pulled out his phone and took a selfie. https://i.imgur.com/gqfUcmt.png
Jamie didn’t know it, but he had entered the Magic Realm.
He stood in front of a sprawling, magnificent brick mansion. The stained-glass windows, which featured celestial objects like suns, moons, and planets, caught the teenager’s eye immediately. For another moment, Jamie was transfixed. Although it was just past noon, it seemed like dusk, and everything was bathed in an otherworldly bluish glow. Jamie didn’t find it creepy, though; it seemed soothing and inviting.
This is unbelievably cool, he said to himself. Then he walked up to the mansion, opened the heavy, glass-inlaid front door, and walked inside.
Almost immediately, Jamie was greeted by a person unlike anyone he had ever met. They seemed like a young person, but there was a wisdom in their eyes that Jamie noticed immediately. They greeted him with a warm smile. “Hello there, and welcome. My name is Morgyn.” https://i.imgur.com/WtCfJg8.png “I’m Jamie. Thanks very much. Ummm…where am I?” Morgyn smiled. “You’re in the Realm of Magic.” Jamie’s shocked reaction made Morgyn smile. “Don’t worry, Jamie,” Morgyn assured him. “Nothing will happen to you unless you’re sure you want it to happen. Nobody will cast a spell on you…unless you let them. If you’re kinda creeped out, you can leave, and it’ll be like it never happened.” “I’m interested in finding out more,” Jamie said. https://i.imgur.com/UFVtBZE.png He and Morgyn talked a bit about what a Spellcaster was, and how it would be possible for Jamie to become one if he chose to. As Morgyn explained things to him, Jamie felt the pieces come together in his mind.
This is where that voice was leading me. I’m supposed to be here, because this could be the way I can help Mom.
Immediately, Jamie began to relax even more. “This all sounds really great, Morgyn.” https://i.imgur.com/XZwO4Ph.png Morgyn smiled, too. “All right, Jamie. Are you ready to take the first step in your journey to becoming a Spellcaster?” Jamie paused for a moment. What would he decide?
