Chapter 2.15 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.17

Generation Two: Brown

Appearance: Brown hair, unkempt clothing style
Traits: Loves Outdoors, Loner, Child of the Island
Aspiration: Beach Life
Occupation: Conservationist
House Goal: 20,000 worth

Sunset

The day before Harvestfest was just ending when my mother decided to stop by. I was always glad to see her, so we chatted for a while, catching up. Then Maricela called from upstairs – she wanted some help with her chess game, so both Mom and I went upstairs to help.

Mari was in good hands, since both Mom and I have maxed our Logic skill, and soon she was playing against Mom fairly confidently. (Although I think Mom was letting her win…) I cheered her on, not thinking much of it when Mom excused herself to go to the bathroom.

She hadn’t been gone more than a minute or two when I suddenly heard a commotion downstairs, and I ran to see what was going on. I came down the stairs to find my mother collapsed on the floor, with a dire-looking Grim checking his list. In horror, I tried to interrupt Grim, but he would have none of it. Apparently, Mom’s time was up, and no amount of pleading, wailing, demanding, or cajoling would get me out of this situation.

Aleki gathered me into his arms, and I watched any number of emotions pass across my kids’ faces. Nobody could believe this time had come. She was so vital, so alive, for all her life – she almost seemed invincible. With a heavy heart, I called my brother and let him know the news, then I ushered my family off to bed.

It’s funny how death affects all of us a little bit differently. Jayce and Kali used their day off of school for Harvestfest to spend most of the time outdoors, playing in the waves. Mari moped in her room, and, strangely, Reed seemed to have picked up on the family’s emotions, and was the saddest of us all.

We all took turns trying to appease the Gnomes, and I’m the only one who failed.

Maricela, however, pleaded for the gnome to forgive us, and she managed to get the tide or broken plumbing to stop. Jayce took the initiative to call in the repair man, as though he knew I was in no shape to be fixing everything.

In the afternoon, I had a long conversation with my brother, trying to figure out what to do with Mom’s ashes. In the end, we decided she should be brought back home, so she could rest beside her beloved husband in the happy home she had built for us all.

Austen had some more surprising news, as well. Meilani had given birth to a healthy little girl overnight. The stress of Mom’s death had sent her into early labor, but, luckily, everything had turned out alright, and she and the baby were resting comfortably at the hospital. I hadn’t even known they were expecting, and Austen explained it was because they had been afraid they’d lose the baby the entire time she’d been pregnant. They’d been told, after all, not to try to get pregnant ever again for Meilani’s health. This had just been one of those happy accidents. Austen called the baby his little miracle.

That night, I made a grand ham dinner for the family, and we all sat around our table and gave thanks for the blessings we’d been given in this life. Saying goodbye to Mom was hard, but we all knew she’d lived her life to the fullest and had been happy right up until the last moment. I think my sadness stemmed from the fact that she hadn’t lived long enough to see Kali into the next generation, to cheer her granddaughter along in starting her own legacy. I knew she was still with us in spirit, however, and I tried to take comfort from that.

While the rest of us ate at the table, Reed enjoyed his dinner in the living room. He even managed to not make a huge mess, for which I was extremely grateful.

The next day, reporting to work was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. My mother was well-known in the islands, and everyone had to tell me how very sorry they were for my loss. I excused myself from the office as quickly as I could, and spent the rest of the workday patrolling the islands and diving to see how the deep ecology was doing.

Kali and Jayce brought home glowing report cards from school, although Jayce seemed like he barely cared. I saw him discussing something serious in the kitchen with his sister, but I don’t know what they were talking about.

Before bed, I helped Maricela finish her aspiration. It was hard to do so with the emotions swirling in me, but we didn’t have time to put it off. Her birthday was tomorrow, so tonight was the last night she had to work on it.

The next day, Austen and I said a formal goodbye to Mom, and we laid her to rest beside Dad behind her Caldera home. I stayed there for a while, just soaking in the fact that she was truly gone. Mom would not have wanted me to mourn her for long, so I wiped the tears away and turned to leave. Life goes on, after all, and I had birthday cakes to bake.

Chapter 2.15 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.17