Strangerville Mystery - Ch 2 - Curious Curios

Main Street, Rangerville, Tuesday, May 4, 2021, 8:20 PM

As Molly's feet pounded against the dusty sidewalk, she realized she felt pretty good. The sun was sinking into a fat crimson ball on the horizon, and the heat of the early desert summer had already faded into a pleasantly cool evening.

Molly relaxed into the familiar rhythm of her evening jog. She'd started jogging in college, after a rough breakup, in an effort to reinvent herself. Now, nearly twenty years later, it was just part of her life. She found the simple ritual of movement and breath helped settle her, especially after a long day at work.

Work, of course, was proving to be a new and interesting challenge.

She'd started yesterday at FutureTech's Rangerville facility. Over her years with the company, Molly had seen so many FutureTech labs, they all looked pretty much the same to her. 

Bonnie, the facility manager, and Susanne, the lab's senior engineer, had given her the tour. At first, Molly had mostly tuned them out. She was used to facility managers showing off, while bitter senior engineers explained why missed deadlines, out of spec products and demoralized teams were someone else's fault, all while they both - with varying degrees of politeness - made it clear that some outsider sent by corporate wasn't wanted.

So, Molly had been pleasantly shocked when they went off script.

"Of course, the sensor module is a challenging project," Stern Susanne said curtly. "We've been working in coordination with the biotech team, designing a new system of detecting and analyzing biological contaminants. It will be a revolutionary device, once the work is complete."

"Which is where you come in, Dr. Prescott," Bonnie of the Bounteous Bosom put in. "Your talent for bringing difficult projects in under seemingly impossible deadlines..."

"Everything is perfectly on schedule," Stern Susanne pointed out. "Or it was until two weeks ago, when the MoD suddenly moved up our deadline!"

So that was the problem, Molly reflected. Well, it was hardly the first time the Ministry of Defense had asked for the impossible. Fortunately, handling the MoD's demands were Bonnie of the Bounteous Bosom's problem. Coordinating between biotech and the engineers was now Molly's.

The engineers she was confident she could handle, being an engineer herself. The bio guys... well, it wouldn't be the first time she'd dealt with people who talked to plants as if they expected the plants to talk back.

Even better, her lead engineer turned out to be something of a fan. 

"It's really great to work with you, Dr. Prescott," Dylan Sigworth said. He was skinny as a reed, clearly dedicated to his work, and also way too excited.

"Please, just call me Molly," she smiled at him.

"Wow, cool," Dedicated Dylan chuckled. Molly wondered briefly when FutureTech started hiring kids this young.

"I doubt you remember me, Dr. Pres... I mean, Molly," Dedicated Dylan continued, "but you did a series of guest lectures on engineering and project management while I was at the Foxbury Institue. You really inspired me." 

"That's great," Molly smiled. "I look forward to working with you."

I'm not even 40 yet, Molly chuckled to herself as she jogged through the gathering twilight. I'm not old enough to feel this old.

The little shack up ahead, undoubtably the curio shop her rental agent had warned her off, appeared to be open. Smiling, and maybe perversely determined to prove to herself that she wasn't that old, Molly decided it was high time to look for some things to decorate her new place.

"Hey, welcome to Curious Curios and More," the guy working the stand said brightly. "No one ever asks me about the 'and More' part but any-hoo, I'm Erwin. What'cha lookin' for?"

"Just some stuff to decorate my place," Molly smiled, checking out the odd assortment of things.

"Oh sure, got lots of stuff," Eccentric Erwin said. "Got some posters, old lamps, bunch o' books..."

"I'd like to look at your posters," Molly said. 

"You from around here, Erwin?" Molly asked, making conversation.

"Nah, I moved here from Oasis Springs," Eccentric Erwin replied. "I was... uhh... well that ain't important. Any-hoo, it's a strange little town."

"Small towns are like that, I guess," Molly said.

"Yeah, well this one's even stranger," Eccentric Erwin said conspiratorially. "You know about the Army base, right... and the secret lab, up in the old crater. Then there's this whole bunch of gov'ment types pokin' around the town library. They's lookin' for somethin' in the old town records." 

"You don't say," Molly said, not really paying attention.

"Yeah," Eccentric Erwin nodded knowingly. "The way I heard it, there was an explosion at the secret lab a couple weeks ago."

"Explosion?" Molly blinked. "Wait, two weeks ago?" 

"Yeah, that sounds 'bout right," Eccentric Erwin said. "Big explosion 'bout two weeks ago... no one's been in or out of that lab since. The Army guys ain't sayin' nothin, but stuff has been gettin' seriously strange since then. That's Strangerville for yah. You want them posters?"

"Yeah." Molly shook her head. "Yeah, I'll take these."

Ok, Molly thought, granted Eccentric Erwin's a little... well, eccentric... but what if he's on to something. The MoD did move up the deadline on the sensor project two weeks ago, about the same time as this supposed explosion at the Army lab outside of town. That's... interesting.

Of course, Molly chuckled to herself, maybe I shouldn't give too much credit to a guy wearing a colander and holiday lights as a hat. 

Still, this town has a strange vibe. 

What did Exccentric Erwin call it? 

Strangerville?

Yeah, this town is definitely a little strange.

Strangerville Mystery - Ch 1 - Welcome to Rangerville

"Welcome to Rangerville, Ms. Prescott."

Pomegranate Corner, Rangerville, Sunday, May 2, 2021, 6:20 PM

"Thank you, Mrs. Roswell," Molly said.

"Please, Ms. Prescott, call me Meredith," Meredith Roswell, the rental agent, said with a plastic smile.

"Well, Meredith, call me Molly," Molly returned a polite smile of her own.

"This is one of our nicest rentals," Meredith said with a wave of her well-manicured hand, and Molly found herself thinking of her as Manicured Meredith. 

"Lots of space, a lovely yard and centrally located, right off Main Street," Manicured Meredith continued. "They must really like you at FutureTech, for them to provide you such a lovely place." 

"Being a Senior Project Engineer does come with some perks," Molly chuckled. "It also means they get to move me all over the place, but I don't mind."

"That must be hard for your... um... partner," Manicured Meredith probed gently.

"No partner, just me," Molly smiled politely, long practice allowing her to effortlessly bury her annoyance at everyone's assumption that a middle-aged woman, even a professional woman, had to be in a relationship. She'd done relationships - some good, others bad. At this point in her life, she was happy with just herself.

"Well, the movers brought in your things earlier in the week," Manicured Meredith said, quickly changing the subject. "I'm afraid I'm not sure everything arrived."

"Oh, it probably did," Molly's smiled became more genuine, if a little rueful. "I don't have much. Like I said, the company moves me around a lot. I was going to ask if there was any place in town I could pick up a few things..."

"Oh certainly," Manicured Meredith said. "We have several lovely shops downtown, which is just over there really. As I said, you are very centrally located. Also, the best place to eat in town is the 8 Bells Tavern, that way down Main. It's a favorite of the off-duty personnel from the Army base. Of course, you know about the Army base..."

"Oh yes, I did," Molly nodded, politely not rising to the unspoken question. Yes, she was here working on a FutureTech project for the Ministry of Defense, but she wasn't about to tell her rental agent that.

"That's good." Manicured Meredith's plastic smile returned. "Well, if you need anything, you have my number. Oh, one more thing... When you're shopping, I would avoid the curio stand by the trailer park across from 8 Bells. Really, I don't why we let them stay in business."

"Well, thank you," Molly smiled, resolving to check out this curio stand at her first opportunity.

"Home, sweet home," Molly smiled, looking around her new space.

She supposed Manicured Meredith could be forgiven for thinking some of her things had been lost in the move. Most of the furniture came with the house. Even the laptop belonged to corporate. Only her guitar, her books and the few boxes in the bedroom containing her clothes had made the move with her. 

A nomad's life, Molly mused, moving from place to place for the company, stepping in to pull struggling projects back from the brink of ruin - often to the resentment of the original project team (no matter that they'd brought said projects to the brink of ruin themselves). 

It was the life she'd chosen, and she actually enjoyed it. A few regrets, here and there, over the years but, on the whole, she was happy with it. A bit lonely, sure, but happy.

It was a nice house, Molly admitted as she looked around. Meredith had been right about that. Centrally located, nice yard, plenty of room and...

... a cat? 

What the hell? 

Molly jumped, startled, looking down at the grey tabby cat. The cat looked back at her with inscrutable green eyes.

"Hello there," Molly assayed, cautiously holding out her hand to the animal. 

In general, Molly didn't mind cats. Other people's cats. In other people's houses. Mysterious cats, with too-knowing eyes, appearing in her own living room... even a newly acquired living room... didn't rank high on her list.

The cat gave her hand a speculative sniff, tail flicking in a considering way. Then, evidently deeming the human to be acceptable, the cat turned away and, with imperious distain, hopped up to settle on the couch. 

"I think one of us is in the wrong place," Molly said to the cat, sitting down next to it.

"I wonder." For some reason, the man's gentle voice didn't startle Molly as much as it should have.

"Please pardon me for intruding," the man continued. "The door was open, and I did knock. I see you've found Huntress... or perhaps she's found you."

"This is your cat, I take it," Molly said carefully.

"In as much as I feed her and tend to her other needs, she deigns to share my house and travel with me when the mood takes her." The man smiled a smile that brightened his eyes and brought warmth to a gentle face framed by luxurious hair Molly found herself envying. 

"She's called Huntress," the man continued, "and I'm called Lucius."

"Definitely your cat," Molly laughed. "Well, I'm Molly."

"A pleasure to meet you, Molly," Lucius said. "Now, Huntress, I believe we've troubled Molly quite enough and should be going."

To the end of her days, Molly was never entirely sure what moved her to say: "No please, it's no trouble. Come in."

Maybe it was the vague loneliness that had come from pondering her nomadic life. Maybe it was a twisted sense of courtesy in the face of this peculiar man's odd manner. Maybe it was that there was something unaccountably familiar about Lucius of the Luxurious Hair. Maybe she'd just lost her mind for a minute.

Whatever the reason, she found herself inviting this strange man to sit and talk with her. 

"So, you two are from Rangerville?" Molly asked.

"No, we're recent arrivals," Lucius of the Luxurious Hair replied. "I keep a small house outside of Henford and usually live a quiet life, just Huntress, myself, a few chickens and my garden. This is a bit of an adventure for me."

"What brought you here?" Molly blinked, puzzled.

"Work, you might say," Lucius said. "I'm mostly retired, but a friend asked me to look into a situation here."

"Sounds familiar," Molly smiled. "What kind of work are you doing?"

"I'm here looking into a possible invasive species," Lucius said. "Hopefully, I can find a way to maintain the Balance."

"Oh, so you're a conservationist," Molly said.

"After a fashion," Lucius answered easily. "So, what brought you here?"

So, Molly found herself sharing her story with Lucius of the Luxurious Hair.

It was later than either of them intended when Lucius, with Huntress trotting easily at his side, left.

New town, new project and a new friend, Molly thought as she got ready for bed. 

There are worse ways to start out.

------------------------

Author's Note: One of those points of continuity between stories, the events of Strangerville Mystery begin just before the events of Wyrd Girls, Book 1: Year of the Wolf.

View from the Mountain, pt 4

'Tis but a few seasons to immortals.

Mariah leaned against the broken wall outside the cottage, Lucius's words echoing in her heart.

Twenty-five years, she thought. Longer than I've been alive, and it's no time at all to him. How long? How long until Miranda feels the same way? How long until I'm wrinkled and old and she'll still be young and beautiful and... A few seasons. Why would she stay? Can I really ask her to?

She was suddenly aware of Lucius, standing quietly beside her. 

How long had he been there? Had he noticed her tears, amid the rain on her cheeks?

"Down there in the valley," Lucius said conversationally, gesturing down the mountainside, "are the ruins of a castle, that belonged to Lord Volpe. Famous fellow in these parts. He was mad about topiary. 

"Actually," he added in a confiding voice, "he was just a bit mad.

"Long before Volpe’s forebearer built that castle, on that same spot was the great hall of a king. King Hengest. Now, you could walk from one end of Hengest’s kingdom to the other and be back to his hall in time for supper… but Hengest was fair and just. A good fellow. They named the place after him - Hengest's Ford. 

"Before Hengest’s ancestors became kings, on that same spot was the cottage of a farmer named Baegla. He raised chickens. A fine fellow was Baegla. In fact, he gave me my very first chicken.

"I knew them all, you see. I saw them come, live their lives, raise their families and pass away to be all but forgotten, save for the echoes their names left behind, by the time the next came along."

"Merde, we must seem like nothing to you," Mariah sighed. "We’re completely insignificant."

"You are magnificent," Lucius said. "Do you know what gives life meaning, Mariah?"

"I’m twenty-one," Mariah said. "I barely know how to do my taxes."

"Well, that’s alright, because it isn’t taxes," Lucius smiled. "It’s change. Change gives life meaning. Without change, Baegla would still be down in that valley tending to his chickens… the same chickens, every day. Forever. He was a fine fellow, Baegla, but so was Hengest and, in his own way, so was Volpe. I mark my life not in years or deeds but by the fine people I have known."

"But they’re gone," Mariah said.

"As you will be, someday," Lucius nodded. "Don’t you think she knows that? She’s a Seer. There is no more inevitable Moment than death. She knows and she has chosen. Chosen her life with you because you give her life meaning. That is your gift to her. To all of us. 

"You are magnificent, Mariah. Never feel the lesser, especially in the company of old immortals."

Standing there, looking out over the valley, the river and the town, Mariah found herself thinking about them. About Baegla and his chickens, whose name lived on in the Bagely River. About Hengest and his little kingdom of Hengest's Ford, now Henford. About mad Volpe and his topiaries, which the people of Finchwick still made on the village green. Most of all, she thought about this strange, quiet man beside her, this ancient immortal who had known them all, who remembered them, and valued them, long after everyone else had forgotten.

Miranda loves me, Mariah thought. She'll love me long after the rest of world has forgotten me. 

I matter. 

View from the Mountain, pt 3

"So, Aadi and Jordan are coming to the wedding," Miranda said.

They were making their way along the gently twisting path up the mountain. The rain had started a little after they'd left Mill Lane, but Aadi had insisted they take umbrellas. Rain, Aadi said, was as common to Henford as Bohemian Rhapsody was at a karaoke night. 

"That's good," Mariah replied, distracted. She'd managed to get a handle on her feelings. Alright, so maybe her insecurities were writhing like a pit of snakes, but she had put a lid over that damn pit and the snakes were staying down under it. Mostly. 

"I told Aadi I'd pay for the plane tickets and hotel and all," Miranda went on. "They tried to refuse, but really, they can't afford it, and I can. So, why shouldn't I pay. I mean, they can't come if I don't. So I will. Simple. Right? Right. I'm right."

Mariah nodded her agreement. Of course, she knew all this already, but she let her lover ramble. Miranda was clearly trying to distract herself from her own fears and doubts.  We all have our ways of dealing with things, Mariah thought.

Soon, the rumbling sound of a waterfall, cascading down the higher slopes of the mountain, filled the silence. The path turned gently to reveal a clearing, with a small cottage and sheds surrounded by a low stone wall that Mariah realized with a start were the ruins of some older structure. 

A man, neatly dressed, his long hair falling in waves around a calm face, stepped out to meet them.

"Welcome," the man said courteously. 

"Are, are you Lucius Tempest?" Miranda asked.

"So they call me," Lucius nodded.

"I'm... I'm Miranda," she continued. "Miranda Silveroak-Goth... Gwen... Gwen Silveroak, is my mother. Well, she's married to my mother, and they both raised me so..."

"Miranda?" Lucius's face warmed with a wide smile. "Truly? Look at you! A woman grown. It seems only yesterday a child played by the riverside."

"This is Mariah," Miranda said. "We're getting married."

"Welcome, Mariah," Lucius said warmly. "You are both most welcome here. Please, I have a warm fire and fresh bread inside. I may even have some cider left. Will you join me?"

"Yes," Miranda laughed. "Yes, please."

-------------------

The inside of the cottage was, as promised, warm thanks in large part to the fire burning in the antique wood-burning stove. The bread, thickly sliced and topped with a mixture of honey and butter, was so freshly baked as to still be warm and delicious. 

A grey tabby cat had given them a considering look with imperious eyes before disappearing deeper into the cottage with a disdainful flick of the tail. 

To Mariah's surprise, a familiar small blue fairy had flit into the room, accepted her own smaller slice of bread with butter and honey, and now sat on the kitchen shelves watching them. 

"Of course, Bluebell has told me stories about you," Lucius was saying as he refilled their mugs of cider. "About you both... and about Gwen and Cassandra. Still, the last time I saw you, you were just a girl. Can it have been so long ago?"

"Well, I'm twenty-one now," Miranda said.

"Twenty-one?" Lucius laughed. "I remember when Gwen was twenty... toddling about Glimmerbrook Watch and just at the age of asking 'why' about everything... but of course, I forget you were born in the mortal world and grew with the passing of days and the turning of seasons."

"Right, the whole 'time is different in Glimmerbrook' thing," Mariah mused.

"... and for old immortals like me," Lucius nodded. "Even living in the mortal world, like I do, I've lived so long that the days and years tend to blur together."

"Is that... I mean," Miranda started, then blurted out. "I've never met you. Now you're saying you saw me playing the river... but never... not once?"

"Gwen made it clear that she didn't want me to be involved," Lucius said, a little sadly. "Bluebell kept me informed and yes, from time to time, I would look in on her and later on your mother and you. Still, I kept my distance."

"Like the night the vampires came to kill us?!" Miranda snapped. "You sure kept your distance then too. Why didn't you do anything!?"

"I watched over you all, for years," Lucius said firmly. "Stroud and his Dark Court knew I was here, knew I was watching. So, we watched each other, the draugr and I. We watched you, and we waited. There is nothing so patient, Miranda, as old immortals. 

"Still, even a witch cannot be in two places at once. That night Stroud and his followers attacked, I was not here," Lucius continued. "Gwen had, by then, reached the fullness of her strength. Your mother had fully embraced her own power, and you... you were beginning to grow into your own. The three of you were on the verge of becoming the new Guardians of Glimmerbrook Watch. The Witches' Council believed my protection could be spared. 

"I was called away, to investigate a serious matter in the Great Western Desert. It proved more... challenging... than any of us expected." Lucius seemed to study his mug of cider intently for a moment. "In my absence, Stroud took his opportunity. Perhaps he would have moved anyway, determined as he was to prevent the restoration of the Guardians. It didn't matter. When you all needed me, I wasn't there.

"When I found out what happened, I was prepared to march into Forgotten Hollow and burn Stroud Manor, and all within, to the ground." Lucius's voice remained calm and even, but Mariah saw his knuckles go white against the ceramic mug in his hands. "I was... restrained. The Council did not want to risk open war with the Dark Court. I was reminded that you... all of you... had survived. Vengeance was your right, not mine... and vengeance you justly had. Still, I would have spared you the pain of it, had I been allowed."

He took a long, slow breath and drank his cider. 

"I'm sorry," Miranda said softly.

"You have no cause to be," Lucius said with a sigh. "It is I who should ask you for forgiveness... but I cannot even do that. I know I don't deserve it."

"Well, I forgive you anyway," Miranda said. "You should talk to Gwen. It's been twenty-five years. That's long enough, even for immortals."

"'Tis but a few seasons for immortals," Lucius smiled sadly.

View from the Mountain, pt 2

"Girlfriend, bring it in here!" Aadi Bheeda, a broad smile on their round face, opened their arms to give Miranda a big hug. "How are my little M&M's?"

"We're good," Miranda smiled. "How are you? You look good."

"Enjoying the country life?" Mariah asked with a laugh. Aadi had always been such a dazzling urbanite, she had a hard time imagining them on a farm.

"Girl, Aadi won't lie. It's been an adjustment," they said brightly. "Still, not hating it... especially since the pub got a karaoke machine."

"Madonna," Mariah groaned.

"That's our Aadi," Miranda laughed. "Bringing culture to the country."

"Well come on in," Aadi said. "You know the way."

--------------

In the living room, the three of them settled onto a comfortable couch. Mariah took in the well-lived-in space, with a variety of art hanging on the walls. She couldn't help but notice the soft child's toys and playpen dominating the center of the room.

"Aadi, is there something you need to tell us?" she asked.

"What?" Aadi looked puzzled, then laughed. "Oh, those are Amber's. She is the Cutest Thing Ever.  Abbey, her mom, is one of the other artists here, but we all help out with her. They're not here right now," Aadi added. "All my peeps are off at a craft show. Oh, Miranda, I'm supposed to tell you my Jordy says hey. They wanted to see you, but just could not miss the show."

"Jordy? You mean Jordan Scott?" Miranda blinked. "Wait... you and Jordan?!"

"OK, needing backstory," Mariah put in.

"Jordan was a kid I grew up with," Miranda explained. "They taught me how to use makeup. The only out gay kid in Henford Elementary back in the day, which wasn't easy. Their family owns the Gnome's Arms, the pub in Finchwick. I'm not surprised they're in the arts community, but... Come on, Aadi... share."

"Well, Jordy and I met at an art show a little after graduation," Aadi said.

"Sparks?" Miranda asked.

"Lightning and thunder, girl," Aadi grinned. "Aadi is in L-O-V-E. So, Jordy is one of the founders of the Henford arts commune... and, well..."

"I wondered what got you to move out to the country," Mariah quipped.

"The things we do for love, girl," Aadi nodded. "Anyway, I know you said you have some things to do while you're here, but I'm really hoping you can hang around and see Jordy. My boo has been really blue, and I know they'd love to see you."

"What's wrong?" Miranda asked, concerned.

"Oh, of course you wouldn't have heard," Aadi said sadly. "Derek McMillian passed away last week."

"Oh, no," Miranda looked shocked and grief-stricken.

Answering Mariah's slightly puzzled look, Aadi explained. "Derek and his husband Ian were a lovely old couple who lived down the road. Ian passed during the winter."

"Oh... Derek and Ian were wonderful," Miranda said. "They were the first gay couple to get married in Henford church, right after it became legal... even before my mom and Gwen got married. They were all the first openly gay couples in town at the time. Derek and Ian were very supportive of Jordan. Of course, mom and Gwen were too, but Derek and Ian were guys, so they got some of the guy-stuff Jordan was dealing with. Jordan must be hurting."

Aadi nodded sadly. "Yeah. Jordt says they knew it was coming, after Ian. The two of them were just so much in love it was like only natural they'd go together. Sad and romantic."

"Two hearts as one," Miranda sighed.

Mariah shuddered. She felt a sudden cold stab of pain piercing though her heart, beyond the half-imagined echoes of Miranda and Aadi's grief.

You've dealt with this, she told herself. This isn't about you and her. It will be OK.

She barely heard Miranda's next words. Everything seemed so far away.

"Well, we'll totally stop back after... after the thing I want to do," Miranda said. "To see Jordan. You know what, you should bring Jordan to the wedding."

"Bathroom's through there, right?" Mariah said suddenly, fighting to keep her feelings hidden.

"Yeah, straight across the entryway," Aadi said. 

"Right back," Mariah said as she dashed from the room.

--------------

Standing in the bathroom, Mariah clutched the sink and tried to steady her breathing. 

I've got this, she thought. OK, so a nice old couple lived a long life together and were so much in love, they passed together. It's sad and romantic and It Isn't About Me.

Miranda loves me, she thought, and I love her. We're together and we're going to get married and be together for... OK, so I'll never grow old with her because she's a witch and she'll never grow old. We won't die together because she's immortal. It doesn't mean she can't love me. 

Miranda loves me.

Her reflection whispered, "For how long?"

View from the Mountain, pt 1

"You know, we have these things called phones," Mariah Huntley said gently.

"What?" Miranda Silveroak-Goth blinked, coming out of her own thoughts. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we could have talked to Aadi on the phone," Mariah said. "You know... rather than coming all the way to Henford."

The car service, a perk courtesy of Miranda's superstar mom, Cassie Goth, had dropped them near the Finchwick village green. Mariah knew there were closer places to park, but she hadn't objected when Miranda had announced her intension to walk to nearby Old New Henford and the house on Old Mill Lane.

The house had been Miranda's childhood home. Sometime after her family had moved to Glimmerbrook and the ancestral home of Miranda's other mother, Gwen, the house on Old Mill Lane had been given to Miranda's friends, Jake and Beth Volkov, as a wedding gift. Technically, Jake and Beth still owned the property, renting it out to a local artists' commune, which now included Miranda and Mariah's friend and former college roommate, Aadi. 

"It's not that much out of our way," Miranda said. Her distracted look transformed into a genuine smile as she added, "Besides, this way we can see Aadi and what they've done with the old house."

"Si, OK," Mariah nodded. "So, we're here to see Aadi?"

"Of course," Miranda lied. "Why else?"

"Mia amata, never try to give me a surprise party, OK?" Mariah laughed.

"What?" Miranda said.

"For a wise and mysterious witch, you suck at hiding things," Mariah said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Miranda said loftily.

"Certemente," Mariah shook her head. "This sudden desire to visit Aadi has nothing at all to do with Cassie suddenly revealing that Gwen's father - your grandfather, for all practical purposes - lives just up that mountain there. Si, OK."

"What?" Miranda said with a hint of bitterness. "You mean, the grandfather who lived practically next door to me for basically my entire childhood... but who no one ever even told me about?! The one I've never met? The one Gwen still won't talk about?"

"I'm just not sure this is a good idea," Mariah said seriously.

"I'm sorry." Miranda wheeled on her. "What was that, Ms. I-Became-A-Gangster-To-Get-To-Know-My-Father's-Family?"

"Si, and that went so well, didn't it?" Mariah replied.

For a long moment, their eyes met. Mariah could see the turmoil in her lover's face. She could practically feel it roiling in her own guts. With a deep breath, she just waited, knowing that was what Miranda needed now.

Finally Miranda sighed, "God, what am I doing?"

"Stressing out," Mariah said, forcing herself to relax. "I get it."

"Of course you do," Miranda laughed ruefully. Throwing her arms in the air, she turned, taking in the green of the trees, the solid bulk of the mountain, the bubbling of the nearby stream and the smell of the rain on the wind. Finally, she looked back at the face of the woman she loved. "Of course you do. I love you."

"Anch'io ti amo," Mariah smiled back. "Come on, let's go see Aadi and then hike up a mountain."

---------------

Author's Note: So, I got hit by a major game bug in the Sims game that I use to generate pictures for these stories. I wasn't able to get all the pictures I wanted for this short story. After nearly giving in to despair, I decided that I did have at least some pictures, and I have the words. So, I'm going to press on anyway. This story will be more words and less art than usual, but it will get done. 

The Raven's Apprentice - Afterword

Once again, I thank you for joining me for another Wyrd Tale, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Raven's Apprentice has a lot of history behind it. 

Gwen was my first serious Sims character. She started out as a teenage witch and changeling, living in Willow Creek with Doug and Lilian Brown. Her romantic relationship with premade Cassandra Goth came as a total shock to me but the two fell madly in love at first sight. I've actually played through several iterations of Gwen and Cassie meeting, falling in love, growing up and living their lives... starting new games but always playing versions of these same, now beloved, characters... before the playthrough that resulted in Wyrd Girls. 

A while ago now, I was having a lot of trouble with my Sims game being very glitchy. I was concerned that I was going to have to abandon my long running save, which would have meant losing Miranda and her world. Not wanting to give up on writing, I considered starting a new game and returning to Gwen and Cassie's teen years. Fortunately, I was able to resolve my issues and keep Miranda's story going, but the idea of returning to Gwen and Cassie's teen years stuck in my mind.

So, when I finally decided to write Raven's Apprentice I had a bunch of established material in my head. Ari's (Gwen's mom) habit of going back to university every few generations was actually something that I had an immortal Cassandra do in an earlier playthrough.

At the same time, since those first games, I had developed new ideas and there were new game expansions to play with.

Carmilla and Molly both came into being out of new expansions. I decided that, since I was working on a teen story, I would finally break down and get the High School Years expansion. Molly is a premade Sim from that expansion. Carmilla was a "child" of the Goth Galore clothing pack. Cas, after all, needed some friends. So were the current iteration of the Weird Girls of Buckingham High born. 

The inclusion of ghosts and séances goes back to the earliest versions of Gwen and Cas's story. Paranormal Stuff was one of the first expansions I picked up. Cas and Mortimer as mediums dealing with haunted houses was one of the first things I ever did with them. Bringing the other Weird Girls into the story was a natural progression.

The idea of the Goth family butler came out of another expansion, though since I don't like the way it handles butlers, I just made and played my own. So, Edwards came into being. After much thought about how "clued in" he might be to the whole supernatural and secret agent worlds I decided that Edwards wasn't a spy or a magical being. He is just simply the butler... which means naturally he knows everything about what's going on and supports his family with grace and dignity.

After a long time refusing to include Aliens in the Wyrd'verse (because I didn't want to get Science Fiction in my Fantasy) I came up with a way that worked in my own mind (thanks in part to a short story by Jim Butcher). Gwen sees the aliens as svartalves, creatures of magic and artifice, and the aliens see Gwen and the other witches as psychokinetic actives. The truth of either view ultimately being a matter of perspective (though I personally favor Gwen's point of view). Once I decided to include aliens, the character of Doctor Key and his sinister plans concerning Portals came pretty easily and Raven's Apprentice was the perfect place to explore them.

This story was also a chance to explore Bella Goth and redeem her in my own mind. I had long ago decided that she was Cas's stepmom because their Sim ages (Young Adult and Teen) were too close for me to reconcile Cas as her biological daughter.  Beyond that, I confess, my original take on Bella was in line with teen Cas's originally less charitable view... that she was a big chested, gold-digging bimbo who was taking advantage of Mortimer. However, digging around in old Sims lore I came across the idea that Bella was an alien abductee... and since I was bringing aliens into the story, I started exploring that. Connecting her to Doctor Key was immediately obvious. The result was a much more interesting Bella Goth... alien hybrid, secret agent and redeemed villainous minion... who I really enjoyed writing. 

Finally, I'd like to mention a very special character - Lucius Tempest. Lucius has probably the longest history of all my characters in this story. He started many, many years ago as my own character in an Ars Magica tabletop roleplaying game. That Lucius Tempestus was a scholarly wizard who specialized in weather magic. Sadly, that game ended long ago but Lucius's memory endured, not the least because I used his name as a username for email accounts and gaming forums... including the Sims forum, where my username is luciusstorm. When I got active in that forum, I made a "Sim-self" (a Sim version of myself) to be my forum avatar and naturally named him Lucius. With Raven's Apprentice I finally decided to really incorporate him into my Wyrd'verse. In doing so, I also answered a nagging question - who was Gwen's real father? I am, naturally. 

I wove together all of these elements with the established backstories and lore from earlier Wyrd Tales and so was born Raven's Apprentice. 

I really enjoyed the process.

With Raven's Apprentice finished, I'm once again going to take a little break, play the Sims and contemplate my next story.

Wyrd Tales should return on August 28th, 2024. 

I hope you will join us.

PS - Oh, the epilogue? We'll talk more about that later. :)