lisabeesims

The Post-Apocalyptic Murkland Starter Challenge: #5 (a short story) Ridge

3rd place March 2017

I wandered into Murkland a few months ago.  I was barely alive and had no assumption of a future.  The atrocity that has been visited upon this land by a ruthless oppressor who sought to dominate by destruction has seemed to burn hopelessness into our world.  The land lies desolate and scarred from his assault.  A near dead monument to enmity and avarice.

We, its inhabitants, are left to scratch and claw the barren ground only to bring forth strange trash fruit and little else.  The waters teem with fish that will not satisfy our hunger because the water they live in is contaminated.

Who would think that in such a bleak place of anguish and desperation one could find love.   Ahh BUT, to my own amazement, I HAVE!  Head over heels .. tripping over myself LOVE!

His name is Ridge.

My heart skips a beat when I think of him.  (I should have to be careful not to think of him too often .. might be bad for my health.)  For me he is my sunshine, my stars and moon .. my world revolves around him.

03-26-17_10-07-56 PM

We could not be more different, Ridge and I.

He is a vegan and, to be honest, my heart still yearns for some delicious fish or stinky cheese!

I am impulsive and he thinks everything through.

I am a good dancer and he .. well .. um .. he tries.

I am a bit too carefree and he is bit too serious!

He is soft spoken and easy going.  I, on the other hand, live up to my red headed stereotype.  A bit fiery and, although I do try, I am rarely quiet.   He tells me he finds amusement (I am glad for that) in my constant prattle and with me around he does not need to concern himself with what to say.

I am seriously NOT a gardener (they had to rescue my one lone trash plant that was no the verge of its own extinction event) and he is .. well …

He and his family maintain Murkland’s organic gardens in carefully prepared and preserved soil.  However, they are not just gardeners.  They are visionaries and horticulturists who are dedicated to restoring our endangered garden and food crops for future generations.

(Before the assault on our world they were seed savers who had collected the seeds many thousands of heirloom, historical, and open pollinated plant varieties.)

 

One thing we do have in common is that we are both dreamers.  We dream of a flourishing tomorrow.

As I lay in my tent I dream of the happy family that one day he and I will have.  A child .. maybe more .. who knows .. a dozen  .. why not!

03-28-17_1-08-45 a PM03-28-17_1-18-22 PM03-28-17_12-49-45 a PM03-28-17_12-52-03 a PM03-28-17_12-56-45 PM03-28-17_1-10-33 a PM03-28-17_1-22-32 a PM03-28-17_12-56-46 PM

Although my heart yearns for those days it is not time yet .. this place is not a good place for a child.  There are very few around Murkland and for those who are here life is difficult.  So I am reluctantly resigned to wait.

BUT I need not wait alone 🙂   I will wait with my beautiful bright sunny-day boy ❤

03-28-17_12-56-47 PM03-28-17_12-56-47 PM

We will not marry anytime soon but until then at least we have something to hold on to .. each other!

03-28-17_12-56-48 PM

So you see the truth is that although things appear hopeless here .. we are not!  We dance and we love and we laugh!

They can take away our houses and our land .. they can take away our livelihood .. they can take away our food .. they can take away our way of life …

BUT ..

they cannot take away our love for one another .. they cannot take away our hope for a bright destiny .. they cannot take away our faith in each other and in our future because even tho we have not seen it we believe it will be.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.

But the greatest of these is love.

 

<< The Post-Apocalyptic Murkland Starter Challenge: #4 Puffer-Dome Experience previous / next The Post-Apocalyptic Murkland Starter Challenge: #6 A Word From Perot>>>

Murkland (current) Table of Contents

Although this is written for entry into the MONTHLY SIMLITS – A SHORT STORY CHALLENGE WITH NEW THEMES EVERY MONTH AND VOTING FOR WINNERS ..

it is also written with love and great fondness to the many wonderful salamanders of Murkland!   AND yes I told you there would be NO cheese this time .. BUT I lied .. there will always be cheese.

******************************** credits ********************************

TY dear Brennachan Sims  for the MARVELOUS challenge .. we sure are having fun with it 🙂

ALL the builds and townies are Brennachan’s and you can find links on her forum thread.

If you are interested is seeing more of what this challenge is about visit http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/910413/post-apocalyptic-murkland-the-starter-challenge/p1   

“Misery” does love company soooo we would love to have you join us!

 

Posted in murkland, Short StoriesTagged , 54 Comments

54 thoughts on “The Post-Apocalyptic Murkland Starter Challenge: #5 (a short story) Ridge”

  1. Pingback: The Post-Apocalyptic Murkland Starter Challenge: #4 Puffer-Dome Experience | lisabeesims

  2. Ahhhhh, and so the secret behind your new toddler avatar is revealed!
    So much warmth and joy amidst the constant barrage of filth and grodiness that is the Murkland Starter lot.
    You will laugh to hear that I initially placed Lisa Bee #1 with the Cliff Dwellers because…Ridge. I experimented with your garb–just the hermit top with hot pants? Just the hermit skirt with the plaid shirt? Definitely NO to the turban that would conceal your redheadedness!

    And finally, you hussy! Proposing while the rest of us are still fighting for our trash plants! Kidding.
    Loved this short story!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. ha ha ha I am so sorry .. but I will be waiting since marriage is out in Murkland challenge (it is ok tho trash fruit has a miraculous anti aging property so even at the end of the challenge she can have her wish)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. I forgot to mention how much I enjoyed your slightly hazy screenshots that represented your dreams of a future family life. The adorable toddler, the occasional pose, the facial expressions–so perfect!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Such a fun murky read. When I was reading some of the last lines…”they can take away our land…”, I was thinking that it was a line from the play in the movie Teen Wolf, or even Braveheart….something like that….and of course the Bible quote at the end is nice. I love your little murky sim and how you changed the background lighting of those shots so it did seem surreal. Great work!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. you were busy playing with photos weren’t you? They looked really good. I was super amused by your description of the differences between them. Made me think of those between my husband and I. It’s good to reflect back now and then. Looking forward to more. Hopefully she can learn to keep one plant alive………

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Ty so much Jana ❤❤ I think you find what you look for .. if you seek a good you find the good in if you seek the bad you find the bad … albeit for some you do have to look a little closer LOL

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  12. Ah, the dreams of a new life and a shared life. Without that, it would be a dismal and murky life to lead with only dying trash fruit in your future. Congratulations! And hope the toddler can become a reality someday.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. Hahaha, that line about him being a vegan when she loves her cheese struck so close to home. My best friend is a vegan while I’m a big ol’ omnivore and I never let him forget it. ^_~ (We do, however, share a common bond in our love of tea… and I’m willing to compromise in sharing a pot of chai made with almond milk. ^_~ )

    I love using that hazy effect for flashbacks and dream sequences too… it’s so simple and so effective!

    Such beautiful imagery… for being a wasteland the colors are so striking!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. ❤❤and a big Ty 😊 … having a few vegan friends I can totally relate. I am more that LisaBee side … I spent years as a mobile lactovegetarian I don’t mind missing the meat but boy missing that cheese and butter that would be hard .. or yogurt or ice cream 😂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Cheese and ice cream alone are things I could never give up. And I live in podunk Idaho that doesn’t have that froo-froo “alternative” stuff like he’s used to having access to, like all the coconut and almond milk ice creams, etc. : -P (I can’t even get my green tea ice cream here, waaaaaaaa!) I have viral pharyngitis right now and can’t even imagine not having ice cream for my throat right now! Nope nope nope! I also subscribe to the culinary theory that cheese can improve just about anything… I am boycotting Pizza Hut at the moment after they delivered me TWO pizzas in one night with no cheese (yes, they brought out a second after I called and complained about the first having no cheese). I mean… seriously, how can that happen?

        Liked by 1 person

      1. It’s also a great source of magnesium which tends to be good for those with headache issues such as myself. But yes, chai is very tasty with almond milk! Just leave it to a vegan to run in a MAD DASH to the barista counter to intercept you if he THINKS you might make an order with *gasp!* regular milk in it! (Cause that totally happened on my vacation, not gunna lie…)

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Pingback: The Post-Apocalyptic Murkland Starter Challenge: #6 A Word From Perot | lisabeesims

      2. Yes … all is well except my pride because everybody else starts so much later than me and they are already finished but it’s all good and we are all having fun right ..

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment