“All right. Is everyone back and refreshed? I know my tale is a long one, but we’re getting to what I consider the good part, so hang in there with me!”

*Welcome back to part 2 of chapter 7. Brit will continue her narration of the story. If you somehow wound up here without reading part 1, you might want to go find it first. ;)

“So, where were we? We had discussed my life in college and my awakening from my cheese-induced stupor into a family sim and a more powerful witch. We saw how my sister overcame obstacles to become a good witch and mother to two beautiful daughters, and we saw my brother find happiness and father two handsome sons. That left me . . .”

“. . . young and pregnant. Back then Ti’s boys were little and Lu’s girls were just babies, but our cat Chessie and I were both expecting. I made sure to spoil Chessie as much as possible, and Dad did the same to me, when he wasn’t writing novels. He was all caught up with his scrapbooking so he had started writing until he had another baby book to prepare.”

Even though I was pregnant, I couldn’t just sit around. I finally found a job in my chosen career, the medical field, and I began working my way up to be chief of staff. I got several promotions and could see the goal within my reach. This goal was a bit more practical than my last one – that being to eat 200 grilled cheese sandwiches, of course – and I had no doubt I could make it. I also kept working on improving my magic skill. Lu’s transformation had inspired me to try to be the best possible version of myself in all areas.

When I was at work, Dad kept busy for the most part. He picked up new crafts and played with Chessie. After Melusine’s passing, it felt lonely to only have one cat in the house, but that wouldn’t be the case for long.

Soon Chessie gave birth. I was so excited to meet the kittens, and I knew there would be several to pick from since our cats always seemed to have large litters.

However, to my surprise, Chessie had only one kitten: a little girl that we named Coinchenn. She was an adorable white kitten. Since we only kept female cats, this would be Chessie’s only litter. We had the so-called heiress of our cat line. Chessie nuzzled Coinchenn right after she was born, and it was probably the last positive interaction those two had together . . .

Anyway, I was so proud of Chessie and I was just sure she would make a good mother. Becoming a good mother myself occupied a lot of my thoughts in those days. The baby was coming soon and I wanted to be sure to give him or her the best experience this world could offer from the first day. I had studied parenting when I was younger, so I knew the mechanics of caring for a baby, and I knew I’d have the love needed to nurture a little one, so it was just a question of putting it into practice. I figured it would be as easy as that.

While I waited for my own little one, I spent a lot of time with Coinchenn. Unfortunately, Chessie ignored her as a kitten, but that didn’t mean she lacked for anything. Dad and I both spent a lot of time with the little darling. She had such beautiful white fur and pale blue eyes. I wondered what she would look like when she was older. We had seen quite a diversity of coats in our cats, so it was always an interesting experience to see how they turned out.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, I went into labor and I was filled with the joyous thought of holding my baby soon. This thought was immediately followed by one that went something like, “Take it back! Make it stop!” I wasn’t quite prepared for the miraculous experience that is childbirth.

However, the pain soon passed and I was rewarded with a lovely little girl of my own.

She had Goldi’s warm-toned skin and hair, and my pale eyes. A very intriguing and beautiful baby, I thought. I named her Marianas.*

*The naming theme this generation is ocean trenches. The Marianas Trench is a fine one to begin with, because it is the deepest part of the world’s oceans. In a section known as the Challenger Deep, it is around 6.8 miles deep, and the water exerts pressure over 1000 times that of the atmosphere at sea level. Wow! Some sea life has been observed in the deepest parts, including amoebas 4 inches in diameter. Neat place, all in all.

Dad was thrilled to be a grandfather again, and he really helped out right away. While Marianas and I were resting, he invited Goldi over. He knew that I would want to see her and I would want to introduce her to our daughter.

Goldi was stunned into silence looking at Marianas. “She’s so beautiful!” she said finally. “Some part of me wishes we had a traditional life, but I know our arrangement, and I have my own things to attend to. Still, I’m so glad I got to meet her. I hope we’ll be great friends when she’s older.” I knew that they would be, and when Goldi left, I began my own process of making friends with my beautiful daughter. My heart swelled with pride and love looking at her, and I didn’t even consider anything Goldi had said after “beautiful,” because that was all I could think about.

However, when I saw Goldi a few more times while Marianas was a newborn, I began to get an inkling of that feeling of wishing for more, but for me it was only an inkling. I’ve heard stories of my great-grandmother Thalassa, another family-oriented soul, and the troubles she went through with longing for marriage and a true partner. I could kind of see where she was coming from, but for me I knew Goldi and I would always be ‘sometimes’ partners, and my real family was my dad and my new daughter.

Marianas was getting older, but I went through a bout where I was having a hard time caring for her because I was suddenly so sick.

Luckily, Dad stepped in to help out. He had raised me and my siblings successfully, so I trusted him totally with my daughter. I just wished I could have spent more time with her myself.

Perhaps the best use of magivestigium is to get from relaxing on the beach to a crying baby who needs a diaper change. It saved me a lot of walking. That was a good thing, because the illness I had been experiencing wasn’t a passing bug. I began to suspect I was pregnant again, though I was surprised it had happened so quickly. Marianas was still pretty young.

While the thought of another child was on my mind, I spent most of my time and attention on little Marianas whenever I could. I loved her so dearly, and it just felt like everything else in the world faded away when I looked at her darling face. I felt this way looking at all of my babies. It’s not for everyone, but having children completed my world.

I soon had confirmation that I was, indeed, pregnant again. It still surprised me that it had happened so quickly, especially since I hadn’t really planned for it. I knew I would love this new baby, even if he or she was a bit of a shock!

We celebrated Marianas’s first birthday soon thereafter. I had a special birthday wish for her, besides wishing her health and happiness always. I wouldn’t know for a while if my wish came true, though.

However, as Marianas grew – and she seemed to grow so quickly! – my wish came true. Like her other mother, Marianas grew in a beautiful golden tail. Overall, she looked so much like Goldi except for having my eyes. She even had the same birthmark to the side of her lips. What a beautiful little girl she was! She was a lot like me except for being more playful.* She could definitely be a bit of a rascal at times, but she was always well-meaning and sweet, even when she was mischievous.

*0/10/8/7/10

Dad and I set about teaching Marianas all of the things she needed to know as a toddler. She was a quick leaner, except when it came to walking. That’s to be expected, though. Secretly, I hoped several of my children would grow in their tails. I found it so fascinating, but of course genetics, and not me, would decide that.

Goldi stayed a constant, though occasional, part of our lives, and she came over to see me and Marianas often. She knew about my pregnancy and we talked about whether it would be a boy or a girl. What a fun mystery it was not to know! Marianas took to Goldi right away and followed her around as long as she could when Goldi was visiting. I could tell that they would always be close, and that gave me great satisfaction.

I kept working through my second pregnancy and brought home promotion after promotion. I was quickly reaching the upper echelons of the medical field, and I knew that, if I kept working this hard, soon I would be made chief of staff at one of the local hospitals.

While Marianas and the little one I was carrying were growing, so were the cats. Chessie was getting old and quite crotchety, even for a cat. She was such a grumpy thing, and she just hated the hugs that Marianas gave her, but she seemed to get caught up in them a lot, since Marianas adored the cats. Coinchenn grew into an adult cat, and she was beautiful. She had soft purples, pinks, oranges, yellows, and greens, not to mention white, in her fur. It was like she was our little watercolor cat. I had never seen a cat quite like her and I thought she was just gorgeous.

One night I spent all evening on the phone with Lu, whose daughters were only a little older than Marianas. We talked about the new baby, and I confessed that I thought it would be neat to have a son. It was nice that my family had always had a good mix of boys and girls. I suppose that conversation is why, when I went to sleep that night, I had a very strange dream . . .

I dreamed I went into labor finally, and gave birth to a little boy with all of Goldi’s coloring who I named Farallon.

*Brit’s dream is actually a play-through that crashed before I saved, so Farallon Legasea did exist for a short time, but alas, was not to be . . .

*The Farallon Trench was an ancient trench from the late Cretaceous period, when the geography of the earth was different. It eventually came together and formed what we know today as the San Andreas Fault. Trenches are neat, huh?

In my dream, Farallon was a handsome baby who, perhaps because this was a dream, never cried. Dad was happy as always to have a new grandchild, and I was pleased to think of Marianas and Farallon becoming great friends when they were older.

My dream then went on to me getting the promotion I wanted the next day, which was earlier than I had expected, but for some reason I was really angry about it. Dreams are weird like that, I suppose. Best not to dwell on them too much, though I did feel this was an important dream at the time.

*In addition to Brit reaching her LTW through a chance card and giving birth to Farallon, they also got robbed, which is why she was mad. It was quite an eventful little bit of play that I lost in the crash.

I put the dream of my son aside, and focused instead on the things that were concrete: my daughter Marianas, my baby-to-be, and my job. These were things I could do something about, and I knew that whether I had a son or another daughter, I would be delighted and love the child just the same. Besides, when one is a prominent doctor like I was, it is not good form to be caught daydreaming on the job. Unlike in my dream, I still needed to work for my promotion.

While raising Marianas and waiting for my second baby to come to term, Dad and I spent a lot of time painting together. I painted a portrait of Coinchenn that turned out a little too big, but I was okay with that because she’s always had a special place in my heart. Coinchenn is just the sweetest, most loving cat I’ve ever known.

This was in stark contrast to Chessie. While Chessie had gotten along nicely with her mother, her siblings, and even neighborhood dogs, for some reason she hated her own daughter. Chessie would follow Coinchenn around the house and challenge her for using certain beds and food bowls. Coinchenn, being a sweet thing, always gave in. It was sad to see her so cowed and see what should have been a great relationship sour so completely.

Our cats had always gotten along, even in the afterlife. Yes, I know about and am comfortable talking about the ghosts that haunt the Legasea home. Some of my ancestors have denied or disbelieved, but I, as a witch, am familiar with the supernatural and know that we have a plethora of cat ghosts, as well as members of the family that watch over us. My point is, it is unlike a Legasea – sim or feline – to be cruel to a family member.

Anyway, we tried to just keep the cats apart as best we could. I had a lot else on my mind with Marianas getting bigger and bigger, and my tummy also getting bigger and bigger. I spent so much time with Marianas and tried to prepare for the next one.

Finally I went into labor for real – this definitely did not feel like a dream – and as always, Dad was there to support me. Even Grandma Anet was out of the grave that night to witness the birth of her great-grandchild.

I welcomed another beautiful, golden-skinned, golden-eyed, golden-haired girl into my life that night: my beautiful Atacama.

As an infant, Atacama looked nearly identical to her sister, but there were subtle differences if one looked closely. She did have that same adorable birthmark, though!

*The Atacama Trench, also known as the Peru-Chile Trench (which would have made a much more awkward name) is right on the western edge of South America. It is around 3,666 miles long.

While Marianas woke up from the commotion and came out to play, Anet’s ghost got frisky and decided to scare me. After the incredible exertion I had just been through, this was just about enough to knock me out, so I went to bed and Dad saw to taking care of Atacama that night. I was always so impressed by how gentle and loving Dad was, especially with babies and toddlers. He was a great dad and he made a fantastic grandfather, too.

With Dad babysitting, I went back to work soon. I knew he was excitedly working on preparing Atacama’s baby book and would be deep in thought throughout his free time that day. I, meanwhile, had no free time as I was working hard. However, at the end of the day all that work paid off and I received the offer I had longed for: chief of staff at a prestigious hospital. I took it and felt an instant rush of happiness. I would do what it took to run this hospital effectively, but I also began thinking about my next goal. Maybe I could be of service in a government organization. Perhaps something in intelligence?

*Brit’s next LTW is Head of SCIA, obviously.

In those days I was nearly in a swoon from the strength of the love I felt for my daughters. Marianas and Atacama were both so wonderful and beautiful. Marianas’s personality was really coming out, and I thought I could see a bit of a glimmer of Atacama’s as she was getting older too. Both of them were a blast to be around, and I had everything I ever wanted, though I did think one more sibling for them would be ideal. I was truly blessed.

Dad really loves throwing parties, and I have to admit I enjoy them too, so we always had big ones for the girls’ birthdays. Ocean, Celine, Ti, Mandy, Lu, Brandon, and Goldi were regular guests. It was fun to celebrate my daughters getting older with all the people I cared about.

As Marianas grew, she reminded me more and more of Goldi in her facial structure. She was a bright girl who loved playing with the cats and talking with friends and family.

In fact, at one of her birthday parties, she stayed up so late talking to Lu, Ocean, and others that she passed out on the couch and I had to carry her up to bed. She loved those parties, and every one was a great memory for her. To her credit, the adults always found her interesting and intelligent enough to carry on a conversation with. She was truly a chatty little girl.

Goldi was busy with her research and I with our kids, so it seemed like some years, the only times we saw each other were at family gatherings. Still, the spark was there and we made the most of our time together.

Now, I’ve painted a very rosy picture of child-rearing, but it’s not all fun and play. I’ve always hated changing diapers, perhaps because I hate cleaning anything, and I never did perfect that diaper-changing spell, so I had to do it myself. Yuck! I also found myself experiencing morning sickness again before too long. I was exhausted and nauseated most of the time early in my third pregnancy, and I had to take some time for myself.

As always, Dad stepped in. Marianas was growing and learning new things, needing help with school projects, and always ready for a conversation. When she had the choice of what to do, she always chose interacting with someone over playing with toys.

I didn’t totally neglect my oldest daughter even though I wasn’t feeling well. I still got a hankering every once in a while for a grilled cheese sandwich, and Marianas loved eating them with me. She was always there with a hug when she could tell I wasn’t feeling good.

Of course, Marianas was not the only one getting older. Atacama also had several birthdays in this time period. Her first birthday was just the four of us because I wasn’t feeling well enough for a big to-do.

As she got older, Atacama also grew in her tail: a beautiful ruby one at that! Atacama had a bit more of a forceful personality than her sister, and she was definitely a bit neater than Marianas or even me, even from those early years.* She definitely had her own personality, and she was a great blend of my genes and Goldi’s. She had such a lovely face and soft curly hair. Though the girls looked similar as babies, they were very different people!

*4/10/4/7/3

Eventually my third – and, I had decided, final – pregnancy began to show. One more child would be perfect. That’s what I had grown up with, and I thought it would be nice for Atacama and Marianas to have another sister, or maybe even a brother.

Marianas was beyond excited to meet her new sibling, and she was always buzzing around me talking about the baby, wanting to feel the kicks, and trying to get me to pick names. She was very funny that way. Atacama was too young to really be aware of the situation, but I knew she too would like her next sibling.

After all, the girls already got along famously. They were best friends before Atacama could even talk. They just loved to play together. It made me so happy that my kids got along so well without any prompting or intervention.

We did have to do something about training up Atacama, though. As usual, learning to stand and move on her tail was difficult, but she was a natural talker and picked it up even quicker than her sister! I began to wonder if I would be surrounded by chatty little girls for the rest of my days if they were both so social. Just kidding, girls. Kind of. You could be a handful at times!

I had maxed out my magical skill, though I didn’t have many opportunities to cast spells, since we were already happy, healthy, and had great weather, etc. Instead I used my cauldron to craft some interesting magical items. I made a throne and a light to go with it. I thought of these as heirlooms that would remind my descendants of me after I was gone. It was also fun to sit on a throne and pretend to be more important than I actually was.

My pregnancy progressed as time passed, and I finally went into labor. As usual, Dad was there to support me. I was more than ready to meet my third and final baby!

However, I met the third baby, but apparently I wasn’t done yet! I went on to have twins! It’s funny that I had twins in my third birth just like great-grandma Thalassa, who was also a family-minded person like me. I guess it runs in the family! It was definitely a surprise, but when it comes to my kids, the more the merrier!

My twins were both girls, meaning that, like both of my siblings, all my kids were the same gender. It’s funny how these things happen, right? Anyway, both girls had all the same coloring as Goldi, including her large eyes and that precious birthmark! I named them Sunda and Tonga.*

*The Sunda Trench is also known as the Java Trench, as it stretches around Indonesia. It is considered part of the Pacific Ring of Fire despite being in the Indian Ocean, and tends to have a lot of seismic activity.The Tonga Trench is located in the Pacific, and starts near New Zealand and extends north from there. It is part of a subduction zone.

Wow! If I thought one baby was both fun and a trial, twins were exponentially more of both! Luckily I had Dad to help me out, but I was elated at having two more little girls to coo over. There would be no Farallon Legasea after all, but that was okay. I had four beautiful, wonderful, miraculous daughters, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

While the twins were busy being babies, my older girls were growing up. Marianas seemed like she was zooming through elementary school, and I kept hugging Atacama because I knew that soon she would be leaving me every weekday too. I couldn’t believe how fast time seemed to be passing.

Parties at our house were always preceded by the arrival of our honored guests, Ocean and Lusitania the Infallibly Good Witches. With their brooms, they always made it there first.

The regular crowd – plus a few others like grandma Celine and my uncle Myrio – gathered to celebrate a big birthday for Atacama. It was a great party! As always, we threw big parties for each of the kids’ birthdays. It was so much fun!

After a few of these parties, I could truly call Atacama a child instead of a toddler. She had grown up unusually beautiful, a lovely mix between me and Goldi and with long, flowing curly locks. She was a gorgeous mermaid and I had a feeling she would be trouble as a teenager!

Atacama, while not shy per se, was a bit more introverted than Marianas. At these parties, she made sure to check in with Goldi and tell her about what was happening in her life, but they never had the same rapport that Goldi and Marianas had. Atacama also really enjoyed reading and studying, so when the party got to be a bit too much for her, she could often be found in the study, cracking open a book. Sometimes Marianas would join her, but only because they were buddies. Marianas wouldn’t sit out a party for just anyone, after all!

The older girls were great friends and did everything together, whether that was playing on the beach or with the water wiggler. They had been born so close together that they acted a lot like Ti and I had when we were kids. I just hoped they would have a good relationship with Sunda and Tonga when they were capable of playing too. In the meantime, Atacama and Marianas had a blast together.

They were both very studious too and got great grades in school. On their own, with just a little prodding from me, they did some independent studies that I knew would help them do well when it came time for college.

I had a little bit of trouble around this time with Shalene, our maid. For reasons unknown to me, she hated me. Hated me. Really hated me. She kept to herself when she was cleaning, but she was friends with Dad from a long ways back, so sometimes she would hang out afterwards. She always had a sharp word or a cutting insult for me, and on occasion she even poked me in the chest for emphasis when she was putting me down! I’m known for being nice to a fault, so I didn’t know what provoked this hatred, but it really made me feel terrible. I didn’t know what to do to stop this bullying.

*Seriously, what could have started this? Brit has 10 nice points so she never does anything mean and listens to almost any conversation topic. How did this enmity develop? I wish I knew, but Shalene was acting like a cow mascot.

I decided I had to stand up for myself and teach Shalene a lesson that she would not soon forget. It wasn’t like me to want to get revenge, but she had really pushed me over the edge. It was time for something drastic.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only fight going on in the house. Chessie was still picking on Coinchenn whenever she got the chance, so hissing and yowling were often heard throughout the house whenever they crossed paths. It was really sad that this mother and daughter pair didn’t get along at all.

Still, most of life was joy and loveliness. The twins had a few birthdays and were growing up fast. They were babbling and rolling over and would soon be toddlers. I wondered if either of them would grow in their tail like their sisters.

Their first birthday was held with just the immediate family. We threw so many parties that sometimes Dad and I just needed a break!

Sunda and Tonga grew into beautiful little girls. Sunda is the most like me out of all my children, including being quite messy and serious, yet nice, outgoing, and active. Tonga has always been more similar to Atacama: introspective and creative, yet she has a bit of the mean streak that Lu and Dad have. Still, both girls displayed wonderful personalities.* It made me really happy that all four of my girls were their own people, after all. Of course, they did have one thing in common . . .

*Sunda, left: 0/10/10/0/8Tonga: 4/10/4/7/1

All four of my girls are lovely, vivacious mermaids. This time I had two be-finned little girls to teach to walk.

It was a journey, but they were up and about before long! I taught both girls to walk as soon as I could after their tails grew in so that they could get around. Dad helped out so we could teach the girls all the other things they needed to know, like talking and using the potty. They were fast learners, even when it came to walking. I was so proud of my babies.

I had been chief of staff at the hospital for years now, yet I had never given up the dream of being in intelligence. Dad encouraged me to change careers and go for it, so I joined the SCIA. I was soon getting promotions there too. Dad was always there to congratulate me after each one. He was so supportive.

With the older two at school and the younger two down for naps, Dad and I would spend a lot of time at the beach together. Our relationship had never been anything but strong, but we had never been closer than at that point in time. I loved and respected my Dad so much, but it worried me that he was getting quite old. I wasn’t ready to lose him yet.

Meanwhile, I had been searching for a spell that would teach Shalene a lesson. I didn’t want to do something too awful because I just couldn’t deal with my conscience that way, but I couldn’t do what I did as a teen and have my rebuttal turn into a joke! No, I needed something that would walk a fine line between being a little retributive but not too mean.

I settled on Spiritus Poultria, an arcane spell that I knew was short-lasting and would do no damage. For a few minutes, Shalene believed she was a chicken and clucked around the house while I had a good laugh. I knew I would be dinged for this at the next meeting of the good witches’ coven, but it was sooooo worth it.

After Shalene “awoke” from the spell, she was mortified and finally respected me – or at least feared me a little. “There’s more where that came from!” I said. “Now just do your job and leave me alone!” She nodded and scurried away. I didn’t tell her that I’d never have the heart to do anything worse to her, but it was to my advantage for her not to know. From then on, she treated me with nothing but dignity and perhaps a little reverential fear.

With that cleared up, I could get back to what I loved most in the world and what I was best at: caring for my girls.

All four of the girls were learning and growing so much. Marianas was breezing her way through school and getting ready for high school relatively soon. Atacama required some help with homework from time to time, but she was a quick learner. And, of course, there were my twins. They were learning all they could about the world, at least as much as they could safely ensconced in the playroom!

Unfortunately, good times can’t go on forever. Although we have more good times than not, they are punctuated with sadness. In this case, it was my dad’s death from old age. Poor Atacama was there to witness it. She was so traumatized that she described the situation as happening with hula dancers and a reaper who gave Dad a drink and an ethereal suitcase! Then again, who can say for sure what she saw? Regardless, we had lost Dad.

Bacopa Legasea was the only male heir to this family so far, part of the sixth generation since Oceania started this whole thing. He struggled some with his unusual role and he definitely had some hair-raising adventures in space, but ultimately his story is one of family and friends. He was so close and protective of his siblings, and he was a wonderful father and grandfather. He cared intensely about other people, and everyone who knew him loved him.

*No story on this slide. This shot is just to show that we now have each of the six regular aspirations in the graveyard. Brit would have counted as the seventh and final grilled cheese aspiration when she eventually goes someday if I hadn’t changed her aspiration, but I’m not scoring so I’m still counting her. So I’m considering it a complete set now. :)

Dad’s death hit me hard. I was not ready for him to go, even though we had had him a long time. There is never a good time for a loved one to leave you. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself at first, but then I remembered . . .

. . . that first and foremost, I am a mother, and that I wasn’t the only one grieving. I checked in on my girls even more often and gave them as much love as I could. I think they handled it well for the most part, but it was still hard on all of us.

After some time, and with the girls sound asleep, I finally steeled myself to straighten up Dad’s affairs. This mostly meant his scrapbooking supplies and albums of us. Looking through all the pictures, I was reminded of how much he had loved me, my siblings, and our children. As I watched the waves on the beach roll in that night, I tried to fix that in my mind so that whenever I thought about him and felt sad, I would also remember the love.

Life continued apace. The twins were walking better than ever, and all four girls were active and busy, though they always made time to play together every day. I was so glad that Marianas and Atacama made time for Sunda and Tonga. Meanwhile, the cats – specifically Chessie – continued to be a problem. She would not let up on Coinchenn. It seemed like she patrolled the food dishes and beds for any excuse to challenge her.

We saw a lot of birthdays during that time, and celebrated as best we could. Right after Dad’s death, I didn’t have the heart to throw a big party, and the twins were down for a nap, so one of Marianas’s birthdays was celebrated by just Atacama and me. Marianas said she didn’t mind but I felt a little bad that I hadn’t gone all out.

Before long, Marianas had become a beautiful, sweet, and successful teenager. It seemed to happen in an instant, but there she was: my girl, almost all grown up. She decided at that time that she wanted to be like her grandfather, valuing friends and family above all else,* and also that she wanted to be a rock god. Well! That was certainly ambitious, but if anyone could do it, it would be my charming firstborn.

*Popularity/family, just like Bacopa.

Marianas set out right away to increase her standing at high school by befriending lots of her fellow teens. Unfortunately, summer was approaching and it was quite warm, so several of her visitors required resuscitation after overheating themselves in our hot tub!

We didn’t see Dad’s ghost for quite a while, but when he did appear, he seemed very sad and didn’t interact with us at all. I wished that we could talk to the ghosts. I had so much to tell him about the girls, but maybe he knew that already. Death is a veil beyond which even supernatural beings like myself cannot see.

Needless to say, Sunda and Tonga were also getting older. They would be starting school soon, I knew, but I wasn’t ready for my babies to leave me! Nonetheless, I had to let them live their lives. The girls were so close that I knew they would be a great support for each other even out of the house.

Marianas helped me celebrate their birthdays when they were still small, since Atacama wasn’t strong enough to lift them yet. Again, this was shortly after Dad’s death so I didn’t have the heart to throw a big party. It just didn’t feel right without my party-loving dad.

Still, I hoped that maybe he could somehow see the girls growing older, stronger, smarter, and more beautiful all the time.*

*Bacopa was floating around during this party and I happened to notice that he got aspiration and influence points! I think he had a want to see one of the twins grow up well locked when he died. I didn’t know that could happen!

Soon Sunda and Tonga were children. You could see a bit more difference in them than before. All of my girls look a lot like their other mother, especially with that lovely golden hair and skin combo, but I think there’s a little of me in there too.

Raising four girls by myself and working my way up the career ladder in the intelligence community was exhausting! At the end of the day, I usually took a bath to relax and unwind. It was stressful to not have the support of Dad around.

Luckily, Marianas really stepped up to help out. She volunteered to be babysitter after school so that I could keep working without hiring a nanny. She even helped the twins with their homework, and she made sure that Atacama kept studying too.

All four of my girls took their education very seriously, and I couldn’t be prouder.

When I started to feel a bit lighter some time after Dad’s death, I started visiting with Goldi again. She could always lift my spirits, and it was just what I needed.

The girls also enjoyed spending time with her. Marianas and Goldi had always been close, ever since Marianas was a little girl, but Goldi was working on her relationship with Atacama and even getting to know the twins now that they could carry a conversation. Although I was satisfied with my choices and the lifestyle we Legaseas live, it was important to me that the girls know their other mother and get along well with her too.

I was making progress through my career, though as I received more covert missions, I sometimes had to leave the house not looking at all like my usual self.

Meanwhile, my girls were safely at home, studying and playing and generally making a mess, at least especially in Marianas and Sunda’s case. Atacama and Tonga had learned the skill of putting books and toys away, but like my brother and I, that eluded my other two daughters.

Meanwhile Marianas was practicing constantly – when she wasn’t helping out – to gain her entrance into the world of rock stardom. I knew it would happen for her eventually if she just kept trying. She did really know how to play that old guitar!

Birthday parties started getting a bit bigger. Just the closest family at first, but I was feeling more comfortable with having people over and adjusting to the “new normal” of life without Dad. We had a party for Atacama that was just the girls, Goldi, and me, but it was still a lot of fun.

Atacama grew into a teen too before too long and my goodness did she turn out pretty. I knew from the beginning that she would have the looks of a heartbreaker, but it seemed she had a bit of the potential in her personality too. She wanted to focus on romance and friendship in her life.* I guess all the parties we had when she was little had an effect on her, because she declared that her goal in life was to become a professional party guest. I was sure she would have no shortage of invites.

*Romance/popularity

Marianas was really glad to have another teen to confide in. These two had always been close, but now that they were both nearly grown up, they could talk about more grown up topics, I suppose. At the very least, they kept caught up on all the hottest gossip from school.

We have an old well on our property that some – like my uncle Myrio – profess can grant wishes. Atacama really wanted a boyfriend but she was having a hard time finding one at school that met her fancy, so she decided to try out the well.

To her surprise – and my consternation – it worked extremely well, and she was soon dating not one, but two different boys with extremely similar looks and fashion sense. I guess she had a thing for brunet boys in brown hoodies. Sorry, dear, I’m not trying to embarrass you! It was rather funny, though.

Although Atacama had that wild streak to her in her dating life, she was an entirely responsible young lady in all other parts of her life. She was extremely close with Sunda and Tonga, and she played and read to them constantly. Marianas had always been good about making sure they did their homework and chores, but it was Atacama that played with them when they were done.

Ghost visitations picked up again for a while. I even saw Dad, though it was not how I had imagined the encounter going. It was actually kind of frightening and alarming! The girls’ great-great-great grandmother Orca was out pretty frequently as well, though she seemed to enjoy the company of the ghost cats to scaring people, though she did make an occasional exception.

Sunda and Tonga were constantly clamoring for the company of their older sisters. They had even started talking about what it would be like when the four of them were at college together! They were in a bit of a rush to grow up, in my opinion, but perhaps I’m biased since I wanted my girls to stay young and with me forever. It broke my heart a little that all but one of them would not be returning to live with me after college, but such is the way of the world. Children grow up and lead their own lives, and that is for the best whether it pleases me or not.

It had been a long time since we had had a kitten in the house, and I decided it was time for Coinchenn to become a mother, too. I got to know a neighbor’s cat named Flotsam. He was a fluffy blue thing and very playful. Luckily, he and Coinchenn hit it off right away with a little coaxing from me. I was hopeful that soon we would have a nice surprise if they kept their relationship up.

Sure enough, Coinchenn eventually became pregnant. I was so excited to see what her kitten or kittens would be like. I just hoped that Chessie would behave herself. She seemed to resent it when we got the beds and pet house ready for Coinchenn to relax in her new delicate state. I had always loved Chessie, but I did wonder what it was that had come out in her to make her so cross where Coinchenn was involved.

The girls continued to spend all their time together at home. Atacama also picked up a job, which surprised me mightily, but then she was rather more responsible than you might guess about a person that wanted to be a professional party guest. I had always secretly dreamed of my girls succeeding in school and work, becoming a real overachiever, and it seemed that Atacama would be the one to fulfill that dream!

Marianas was no slouch, either. One evening when I was working late, she arranged for the headmaster of the local private school to come over for dinner.

Their visit went extremely well and Marianas convinced him to let her and all three of her sisters into his school, the same one I had gone to when I was their age. It was wonderful to see them getting all the advantages in life, and they did look rather smart in their new uniforms.

Atacama kept getting promoted in her job, and she went through a variety of positions with quite ignominious uniforms. Even coveralls couldn’t dim the light of Atacama’s beauty, though.

However, I’m not sure that even she could pull off the fast food worker’s uniform. Those hot dogs were a doozy, and her boss made her pull back her beautiful hair.

Soon Atacama was regarded by many as an overachiever, and my dream was fulfilled. I was so proud of her, but so were her sisters. I think she really inspired the younger ones.

I have always had much to be happy about, and my family was no exception. My girls were succeeding in life in every avenue they tried, and I was doing my best to keep up my end of the bargain. I continued to work hard in intelligence, and soon I was back in the office instead of out in the field in a skimpy dress.

Eventually, the head of the SCIA retired, and I was nominated and confirmed to take her place. It was so exciting to realize this goal of mine!

*Brit’s next LTW was to marry off 6, so that’s it for her and finishing LTWs.

Coinchenn soon had her kittens. Yes, multiple kittens this time!

They were so sprightly. I tried to take a picture of the three of them many times, but I could never get them in the same frame.

Coinchenn seemed very pleased with herself, as well she should be. She gave us a two girls to choose from, as well as a boy kitten. We named the boy Iku-Turso. He was white with light blue eyes. His sister Tiamat had the same coloring, but the other girl, Ogopogo, had the rainbow-sherbet pinkish base that we’ve seen in many cats before and has grey eyes. It will be interesting to see how they grow up!

Coinchenn’s mother, Chessie, ignored Coinchenn as a kitten and bullied her frequently as an adult, but Coinchenn set out from the beginning to be a better mother. She nuzzled her kittens frequently even though there were three of them for her to divide her attention between. She had great relationships with her kittens from the beginning. As expected, Chessie ignored these kittens as well.

My girls were smitten, and I have to say I too was entranced by the darling little kittens. I don’t think their feet touched the floor much based on how much snuggling they got. All four of my girls frequently took time to play with the little darlings.

Unsurprisingly, the birth of kittens brought out the ghost of my kitten-loving foremother, Thalassa.

Since we would only be raising a female cat, we gave Iku-Turso to Ti. Poor Mandy! She is even more outnumbered by boys now. We kept Ogopogo and Tiamat to see how they would grow up. Lu has already asked to adopt whichever one we don’t keep. We always make sure to have homes for the kittens we breed! Anyway, both girls were fussy little things and we had to get special bowls or else they wouldn’t eat their cat food!

Chessie passed away from old age and was laid to rest in the cemetery with the other cats from whom she was descended. Meanwhile, Coinchenn continued to be an excellent mother to Ogopogo and Tiamat and spent all of her free time caring for her kittens.

The girls were keeping busy. Atacama was still going on dates, but she had widened her pool to include brunet boys with green hoodies! Ah, variety!

Sunda and Tonga were growing up so fast, it seemed. They would be teenagers before long, I knew, so I spent as much time as I could with them while they were still little. Once my youngest two became teens, it would be time to move on to the next chapter of our lives, so I savored these moments. Still, it felt like one day I was getting a welcome-home hug from one of the girls . . .

. . . and the next they were growing up in front of my very eyes. I’m quite embarrassed to say that we were all so busy that I forgot to throw a big party for them one year.* Sorry, girls! You know how scatterbrained I can be at times.

*Whoops! They were all really busy and the birthdays escaped me.

The twins grew into lovely young mermaids. All four of my girls were so beautiful, strong, social, and passionate about their lives and interests. Sunda was interested in romance like Atacama, but she also wanted to live a comfortable life. She aspired to be the best in athletics. Tonga wanted to life a life full of leisure and friends, and reach the heights of the culinary world. All of my girls have a somewhat carefree, easygoing aspect to their personalities but still aspire to have great careers, and I know they will be very successful.

*Sunda: Romance/fortune – Hall of FamerTonga: Pleasure/popularity – Celeb Chef

Sunda had heard good things about the well from Atacama, so she decided to try it out. She said the results weren’t so great and not at all what she expected.

*Lol! I have never had this happen before. Poor Sunda. It was just about the creepiest thing I have ever seen in a video game. Watching Mrs. Crumplebottom crawl out of that well reminded me of Samara in The Ring. Spooky!

That same evening Sunda got into a fight with some very cross old lady. I’m still not really clear on the details, but the poor thing lost the fight despite being in peak physical condition.

Sunda tried again a few days later, but it went no better than her first time. It looked like romance was not in the cards for her, or at least not with assistance from the well. Perhaps Atacama had dried up all the magic.

Tonga was also going through a rough patch too, but she was not the one suffering the consequences. Although she and her twin got along great, Tonga had some quarrels with her older sisters. Although she always came out on top, her relationships with them were suffering. I’m sure they’ll work things out, though.

Seeing all of my girls nearly all grown up made me think even more about Dad. I hoped he was watching and could see what amazing people they had become. I also hoped that he was proud of me for the job I had done raising them. Although I faced no major difficulties in doing so, settling down to be a competent mother went against some of the silly, carefree nature I had had when I was the girls’ age. I got great satisfaction from the results, though.

Unfortunately, I am not immune to the aging process either. The girls surprised me with a really enormous party for a milestone birthday of mine. It made me feel a little bad about missing that one party for Tonga and Sunda, but I chose to focus on the love of my family and friends instead. I’ve grown older, and I’ll leave it up to you to judge whether I’ve grown wiser too, but I’m happy with where I’m at in life.

That party was a really enjoyable event. I got to catch up with family and old friends, and of course Goldi. It was everything I wanted such a party to be, and I am so thankful to the girls for throwing it.

Now that I’m older, sometimes I get a bit more reflective. I love looking at the portraits we have in our study of the Legaseas who have come before me. Ever since Oceania came out of the water to found our family, strong women – and a strong man – had been leading the Legaseas to happiness, fortune, fame, and most of all, love. I hope that I have done my part in building that tradition.

Now my last jobs are to see my girls through their teen years, support them as they go through college, and see them start families of their own. I’ll be consulting with my friends to help me decide on an heiress. Any of the girls would be a wonderful choice to lead the family, and I know that whoever is chosen, the Legasea line will continue as it always has.

And that, my friends, leads me to where I stand before you and my four beautiful daughters down here in the front row today. This is my story. Thank you all for coming out to listen, and I hope you’ve had an enjoyable time.

. . .

“Yeah!”“Woo!”“Hurray, Brit!”“Way to go, Mom!”“Thank you so much for speaking to the Historical Society today, Britannic. That was a wonderful speech. Congratulations on living such a successful life.”

“I couldn’t have done it without the five spirited mermaids you see before us. I owe everything to them and their love, as well as my Dad’s. Family is everything to me.”

*And that ends Britannic’s story. Thanks so much for reading through these two longs parts of the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed them. This has always been one of my favorite families to play and this generation is no exception. Flip ahead for info on the potential heiresses and a few outtakes at the very end, then head to SiMania or boolprop to cast your vote!

SiMania http://z12.invisionfree.com/sim_maniaBoolprop http://boolprop.net

Marianas LegaseaPopularity/family – Rock God0/10/8/7/10

The firstborn of the family, Marianas has always been very social and has had the closest relationship with Goldi. She did a great job caring for the younger girls’ educational lives.

Atacama LegaseaRomance/popularity – Professional Party Guest4/10/4/7/3

Atacama is, in my opinion, stunning, and there are quite a few boys in Sireunum Scopuli (all of whom have brown hair and wear hoodies!) who seem to think so too. She loved to play with the twins when they were kids and was an overachiever.

Sunda LegaseaRomance/fortune – Hall of Famer0/10/10/0/8

Sunda, the firstborn twin, has been unlucky in love so far, attracting the ire of Mrs. Crumplebottom at the well twice, but that won’t last forever. She has an extremely similar personality to Brit.

Tonga LegaseaPleasure/popularity – Celeb Chef4/10/4/7/1

Tonga is the youngest of the children and also the meanest. She gives out noogies quite liberally.

Don’t forget to cast your vote! Any of these girls would be a great choice. They’re all beautiful and have great LTWs. I can’t wait to see who is chosen!

Now on to the outtakes. These are just some silly or notable things that didn’t fit in the story. :)

1) I love the toddler-dancing-to-stereo standing up bug, and always have to take a shot when someone like little Bancroft here appears to be a giant toddler.

2) I have no idea what Chessie is even doing here, but I have a feeling she’s doing it wrong.

3) The annoying coach got stuck behind Azolla and a family friend smustling on the narrow porch during the college party and couldn’t bother anyone! Thank you, narrow porch!

1) Bacopa: Multitasking 1, baby care 0.2) Atacama’s scary, scary whistle face.3) This guy hates the Legasea and I have

no idea why. As far as I can tell, he’s never met any of them but he always dumps our trash and steals our paper.

Thanks again for reading! Until next time, happy simming!