Changing Seasons. Summer part 3

Chapter 3 “Okay, I think we’ve got a problem.”
I told her about the young couple I’d seen and where I’d seen them.
“That’s the old Winter place. James died a while back. He never had any sons – this must be a nephew… but you said young? Great nephew, then. What did he look like?”
“Red hair…”
“He’s a Winter.” “The point is, I need a cover story, in case I bump into them. Avoiding one old guy who lives down by the pier, wherever that is, is one thing. Two young people with bikes and a truck – which reminds me!” And I told her about finding the bike. “It’s going to make collecting food and so on much easier.” “You can go further as well. I know where else you might find some useful stuff. Now, about a cover story…You’d better sit down for this.”
And blow me down, she started to give me this detailed history of her family. And then quizzed me. And then went over it again. Like I said, total schoolteacher. But she did have a reason behind it. “So,” she said, an hour and a half later. “You’re researching your family’s history. You have every reason and right to be here. You are my great-great niece, descended from my sister Violet – she was blonde, like you. And if you do run into Thomas Tench, then you know things about this town that no outsider could possibly know. And it is your summer holiday – there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be here. A ghost town is a safe enough place!
I’ll tell you more tomorrow. I think this is enough for one day. More things that – naturally – you learnt from family diaries, and my letters to Violet.”
I was beginning to think that Great-Great Aunt Addie could give me a run for money when it came to sneakiness. This was a good plan. Mind you, my brain was beginning to feel stuffed with facts about the town and its past inhabitants (that fancy house I’d got this paint from? The bank manager. That figured.) I wanted to do something else – paint the walls blue, failing painting the town red – but Addie threw forty fits at the thought of me wrecking the stonework. I was allowed to clean that, but nothing more! She did say I could paint the furniture though. It took some doing! I was quite glad to pause for lessons actually. But this officially looked a lot better. Even Addie said so. Next big question – was there a laundromat somewhere? That bedding looked disgusting. Better ask Addie. Well, that made her laugh. Which I guess was a big fat no, and I was going to have to make with some serious handwashing. Doggone it. But at least I could go anywhere now and not worry about meeting people. If you’d told me that this summer I’d be sitting by a campfire I’d put together out of odds and ends, I’d have believed you. In fact, I’d have thought you read my mind, because this was always my plan for the summer.
If you’d told me I’d be chatting to the ghost of a bossy school teacher, who was trying to manipulate me into cleaning her church for her, I’d have laughed in your face.
And if you’d told me that I’d be kind of enjoying her company, I’d have had you down as seriously insane. But you know what? I’m kind of getting to like the old bat. And tomorrow, I’m going out and about. She’s given me my cover story. I’ll do the washing first, and it’ll dry while I’m out. Have you ever washed clothes using one of these? Take it from me, everything ends up soaking wet! Next time, I’m wearing my swimming costume. But it’s a lovely sunny day, so I’ll dry out as I cycle. And the floor gets a free clean. Well, free because I’m not charging for my labour! Now let’s see what I can find in the great metropolis out there. Item: one ancient shop with a box of paper tissues for sale. Item: one long-abandoned gas station. I cycled past a few more obviously derelict businesses and then gave it up for the day. I'd try again in a couple of days' time and see what else I found. Item: one obviously lived-in hut by the water. This must be Old Sea Bass’s place. Should I knock and introduce myself? My problem was solved though, as the old guy came to the door anyway.
“Annette, I've got some news for you…” and then he stopped as he realised I wasn’t Annette. Right, here goes.
“I’m not Annette. I’m Clara."
“Tench. Old Tench, people call me. You a friend of Annette and Marcus then?”
Tench. I must remember that and get his name right! “No, Mr Tench...”
“Just Old Tench, please. Mr Tench kind of makes me feel like I’m facin' my bank manager again. Or bein’ hauled over the coals at school: ‘Would Mister Tench like to explain what he’s finding so funny?’”
He must have been taught by Addy! That was a really good impersonation of her. I’d never get a better cue.
“Actually, my great-great aunt was a teacher here. Adelaide Kirk? I’ve come to do a bit of research into my family history.” “Well, I’ll be danged! Which of her sisters…”
“Violet. She was my great-grandmother. And I found Adelaide’s letters to her…”
“And thought you’d come and take a look-see for yourself? But where are you stayin’?”
“I’m camping out in the church…”
“Nice to know there’s still some youngsters who can fend for themselves. But you need anythin’, come and ask. And Annette’s due here soon – I thought you were her – so hang around a bit and meet her. She and Marcus, they’ll be right glad to help as well.” I could see why Old Minnow – Tench! Tench! – had mistaken me for Annette at a distance – she was as blonde as I was.
“Hi! I’m Annette Summer. And this is Marcus Winter…”
Time to cement my alibi some more. “Any relation to James Winter? The red hair suggests it…”
“How did you know that? Do you know the family?” “Only in a manner of speaking. My great-great aunt lived here, and I found her letters to my great-grandmother…” and out came Addie’s carefully planned story. It was working a treat! “So you’re camping out in the old church for the summer? Well, come and see us. We’re pretty much camping too – and we’re so busy! – but you’d be welcome to drop by. After all, we’re the only people here…” Annette broke off as the other two positively sniggered.
“What do you two know that I don’t?” she demanded. “Well,” Old Tench said. "That there TV programme finally got somethin’ done. The company’s puttin’ in someone to tend that graveyard. And I heard he’s a family man. So I did some thinkin’ and got in touch with Minnie as owns the shop – come and take a look.” “She’s put some new stock in.”
New stock? She's put some stock in! But I didn't say anything.
“Peanut butter!” Annette said happily. Me, I liked the look of the tomato ketchup myself. “Iffen you want to buy anythin’ just write it down and Minnie’ll get the money from you next time she’s through. Save you two from goin’ all the way to Newboro’ for odds and ends. And I got me thinkin’ about somethin’ else as well.” “That guy who’s comin’? He’s married and young – might be children by and by. And that house needs some work.”
He was right. I’d seen the house! And I was hoping they didn’t want their stuff back, because I still needed it. But they wouldn’t know what had been there. What the eye doesn’t see, the heart won’t grieve over, as Addie said – she was big on old sayings.
“So I thought, how about the four of us get this place cleaned up and workin’ again? They’re not comin’ until the autumn, so we’ve easy enough time.” More cleaning! But before you know it, they’re all organising who can do what. Old Tench says he can service – and fix if needed – the machines, and Annette says they can pick up parts from Newboro next time they go there, and she’ll drop off a box of fruit and veg as a welcome gift, and Marcus is roping me in for washing the walls…
But when the new people come, Old Tench, Annette and Marcus will all be saying that I’m Addie’s great-great niece. And that I belong here. I could stay just a little longer before I needed to move on again. “And so he’s supposed to be coming in the autumn.” I finished bringing Addie up to speed with the news and waited for her reaction. She surprised me. “And what are you going to do come the autumn?” She almost sounded gentle. Addie, gentle?
“Are you going to move on again, like a leaf blown in the wind? You could stay here, you know.”
How did she know? How did she know my plans – and underneath that, my feelings? I knew she’d said she could see through me when we first met, but this was ridiculous. I was going to pass it off with some wisecrack, but my feelings forced their way out for once.
“How did you know?” She drifted to her feet and looked at me, almost with compassion. “Because you can see me. Only the very unhappy can see me. Mr Tench, that young couple at the farm – they never will. Even when Thomas’s wife died – his grief was great because their happiness had been great. But that happiness was still part of who he was, still stored up in his heart for ever.”
Stop poking round inside my head, I thought. Stop prodding all those sore places. But do you know what? For the first time since I was about two years old, I could tell that someone really cared about my feelings. And it was a ghost of a schoolteacher. It was too much for me. I just burst into tears. The only person who really cared about me at all was a ghost. And I told her my story and what it was I was running away from and why I was never ever going back. “Then stay,” she said.
“I wish I could,” I wailed. Me, Clara, wailing! I don’t do wailing. Nobody likes it. It was like she was pulling up all those pent-up feelings from deep inside me. And boy, did it hurt. But I couldn’t stop them from coming up. “I wish I could stay,” I finally said.
“You can.” The crispness was beginning to come back into her voice now. “We can find a way. And you can trust Mr Tench with your story. He will see it the way I do. Let him go on thinking I am your great-great-aunt. But tell him the truth about why you have run. However, we will have to make sure you continue to get an education. I wonder if the library is still in existence? I can certainly help you plan a course of reading and study…” And so here I am. Studying in the library – though she’s still not given up on getting me to clean the whole church! She was right about Old Tench – when I told him my story (I didn’t wail this time. But I might have cried a bit when he got angry for me, not at me) there was no way he was going to try and persuade me to go back.
“Sides, by the time I was your age I was pretty near full-time workin’,” he said. “But you got to promise that you’ll let me and Annette and Marcus keep an eye out for you. You won’t just vanish and leave us worryin’ ourselves sick over you.”
I could promise that. I quite liked the idea that they would worry about me.
“We can always say you’re Annette’s sister iffen someone gets too nosy. But I reckon you’ll be safe here.”
And do you know, for the first time in I don’t know how long – since my mother died – I really think that I am.

This building and these characters were created by AlphaFen! https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9310815 Back story here: https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/17074021/#Comment_17074021