Cape Calamity Prosperity Saga - Episode One: The Boxcar Family

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Ask any crusty old-timer around Cape Calamity how the village got its unfortunate name and you're likely to get a whole mish-mash of answers. Some say that it earned its name thanks to the numerous times the Cape was raided by syphilis-infected pirates in the 1700s. Others claim that the name is just a ruse to keep away pesky (syphilis-infected) tourists. Others yet claim that the village was named for Calamity Jane, the famous frontier prostitute (who may or may not have also been syphilis-infected).

No matter the reason, Cape Calamity's name fits it well. Just ask Annie, Jane, and Violet Boxcar.

That's them, there, burying their father on Gulf Island, right next to the bones of their dearly departed mother.




The Boxcar girls were born on Cape Calamity, but they moved away well before they were out of diapers.

Still, their parents kept a rickety seaside cottage there, and many a summer vacation was spent on the Cape when the girls were still children. The whole family often swam the short distance across Bad Fortune Bay to play on Gulf Island. It was a rocky and uninhabitable spot, home to nothing more than an abandoned house, but it was their father's favorite fishing hole.




Their mom wasn't much for fishing, but she still knew how to keep cool under the searing summer sun, and looked fab in a two-piece, too.




The girls were too young to really notice that the trips to Cape Calamity put their easygoing parents on edge. Their fun activities seemed forced, and they wore out easily. They took a lot of long walks by themselves, speaking in hushed tones and exchanging looks of concern.

Maybe their anxiety had to do with the fact that they had once lived on the Cape, but had, for reasons unknown, chosen to leave.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that something kept drawing them back.




Or maybe they just sensed that one of their numbers was up.

Either way, on one bright July morning Holly Boxcar was found sleeping with the fishes.




Instead of taking her home to the city for a proper funeral service, Jon buried her himself on Gulf Island, under the giant Cypress tree.

He and the girls held a short service, all of them dressed in their best formal clothes. They marked the grave with nothing more than a pot of Holly's favorite flowers, daffodils.

Then they returned to the city and carried on with their lives as usual. Jon told everyone that Holly had died of a sudden illness, and the girls followed along, somehow sensing that they shouldn't reveal the truth to anyone.

They didn't return to Cape Calamity for a long time.




"Girls, you're old enough now to hear the truth, at least part of it," Jon said from the foot of his wife's grave.

His daughters were teenagers now, and for the first summer in years they were back on Cape Calamity.

"Your Mother knew she wasn't long for this world, and she wanted to die here, where she spent so many happy times with you. I know it isn't usual, the way that we buried her, but you have to believe me when I say that it's what she wanted. I hope you understand..."

Because he was sad, and had been sad for years, neither Jane, Annie, or Violet raised a protest. But truthfully, they didn't understand at all. Had their mother been ill? Had she offed herself? There were no answers here, only more questions.




And even more questions to come.

The next night, Jon took a midnight swim across Bad Fortune Bay. Despite being an excellent swimmer, he never made it to the shores of Gulf Island. Not quite.

Sensing he would have wanted it that way, the girls performed the same ceremony for him as they did for their mother, burying him next to her under the giant Cypress tree.




They were orphans now, and because of her name, Annie felt she was best suited to the role. She would miss her father, of course, but it might be great fun to be all on her own, sans parents. Imagine all that freedom!




Violet was visibly more upset. Orphan? What would her friends say? She would be a pariah, no doubt. Or perhaps fabulously envied? Well, one could hope.




Jane bit her lip and fretted in silence. How would she and her sisters survive financially? Would they be forced to sell their bodies to the greasy truck drivers on Route 666? And wouldn't that hurt their chances of getting into a good college?




Back in the vacation cottage, Jane broke down in tears. Her sisters stared at her, unable to find any words of comfort.

"What will we do now?" she said between sobs. "When we go home they'll think that Dad abandoned us or something. They'll probably put us in foster care. We might even be split up."

Annie and Violet shared a concerned look. Foster care would never do.




After dinner, they approached Jane with a plan.

"Let's just live here instead of going home," Annie said.

"Yeah. People will think Dad blew town with us in tow," Violet added. "Easy-peasy."

Jane almost laughed. "You're joking, right? If we stay here people are bound to notice us and wonder who we are and why we aren't in school."

Annie made a face. That Jane, always complicating things with her practical insight! "So we'll go to school."

"How? We can't just show up."

"Too bad one of us isn't a knowledge Sim," Violet said. "Then we'd be able to figure something out for sure!"

"Just leave it to me," Annie assured her. "I have a plan."




Annie didn't actually have a plan, but she managed to scrap one together over her morning spicy tuna roll. Fish really was the best brain food, even for pleasure Sims.




Her plan led her to the Marine Institute, where some brainiac professor was scheduled to give a lecture on the growing number of whale beachings in the area.

The lecture was pretty boring. The professor used a lot of unnecessarily big words to argue that the whales were killing themselves because they were afflicted with a rare, sea-borne strain of Condition X.




"But Professor, have you considered that the whales are in fact not afflicted with Condition X, but instead reacting negatively to the presence of alien activity in the area? After all, there is no proof, as I'm sure you know, that Condition X is even contagious!"

The boy behind Annie spoke in the dulcet, showy tones of a true dork. He would be perfect. Definitely a knowledge Sim.




"Hey guy," Annie said, cornering the dork after the lecture ended. "Why are you so blue?"




"What?" The dork looked truly startled. "I'm not blue...okay, I am blue, but it's because I have Condition X. It's non-contagious, though. I swear!"

"Relax," Annie said. "I'm not afraid of Condition X." And she wasn't. Condition X was an anomaly that had been sweeping Simmerica for years, causing peculiar physical mutations. Some said it was genetic, some said it was environmental, and almost all said that it had likely all originated on Calamity Cape. Adults were scared of Condition X, but the younger generation was more tolerant and understanding, and a little more likely to see the upside of having cool pointed ears.

"I meant why are you so bummed," Annie continued. "I bet I could cheer you up."

"I'm not bummed," the dork protested.

"Sure you are. But I bet I have a challenge that would turn your frown around."

"Um, okay. What is it?" The dork said, intrigued despite himself.




Annie explained what she needed: a quick hack into the local school district's computer system, then a transfer of all her and her sisters records.

"It should look like the transfer was scheduled months ago," she said, watching over his shoulder as he used one of the Marine Institute's computers to access the school's database. He typed impressively fast.

"No problem," the dork said, with the confidence and pride of a gigantic knowledge Sim. He had told her that his name was Jung, but Annie continued to think of him as the dork. The Dork, with capitals, like a proper title.

"A bus should arrive in a couple of days," he informed her, finishing up with a flourish of keystrokes. "When it does, you'll know that the transfer worked."




Sure enough, the big yellow bus arrived that very Monday. Violet was particularly ecstatic, keen to resurrect the vibrant social life she'd left behind in the city.




After school, Annie did the unthinkable and tackled her homework straight away. She didn't enjoy doing her homework at all, but she knew that it would be best if she and her sisters didn't stand out in their new school as dummies or trouble-makers.

While she worked, a brief knock on the door was followed by creaking footsteps across the living room.

"You've answered that calculus question wrong," The Dork said in his pedandic, robot-like voice.

"Thanks for the heads up," Annie said, erasing her mistake. "And thanks for getting us into school, too. We owe you."

"So what do I get?"

"I don't know, go ask Violet. I think she's in the kitchen."




The Dork lived up to his name by talking to Violet about aliens before anything else.

"I'm telling you, the whales are beaching themselves because of aliens! That professor is an idiot. I bet he's a professor at a community college."




"So about aliens?" Violet began, at ease conversing with almost anyone. "If they exist, why didn't we see them, like, when we were up on the moon or whatever? Couldn't they have organized a little welcome party? A small "congrats on making it to space!" shindig? I mean, if I were an alien I wouldn't hide my light behind a bushel, would you?"

The Dork just stared at her.




He might've been The Dork, but the Boxcar sisters decided to keep him around.

He definitely had his own special uses.




Satisfied that they were in school, but still worried about money, Jane struck a deal with her sisters: she'd get a job if they took care of things around the house.

It wasn't her dream job, but out of desperation Jane took the first position that came along, as a gofer at a business firm. The pay was circus peanuts.




By the time Jane got off the clock, it was usually dark out, and the creatures of the night were beginning to emerge.

One large, friendly mutt took to greeting her at the back door. He had yellow eyes that glowed, possibility with Condition X. Rather than fearing him, Jane felt a type of kinship with him. Perhaps if she spared him a treat now and then, they would become friends>




To make up for all of Jane's hard work, Annie tended to their tiny garden out back. They had six tomato plants and an apple tree. Not quite enough for a salad of any kind, but they had to start somewhere.

Plus, wielding the gardening sheers was good, clean fun.




Violet, though, had the worst job of all: she did all of Jane's homework for her. She didn't do it quietly, but at least she still did it.




But beyond those few responsibilities, their lives belonged to them. They could stay up as late as they wanted, invite over as many friends as they wanted, listen to music at top volume, eat sushi for breakfast every day of the week, and, in general, act however they pleased




And why not? No one was there to see.


Next up....Jung's family, the Woolfs!

Comments

[degdegsims.livejournal.com]

This was a highly enjoyable read. It's the first Prosperity Challenge I've enjoyed reading, actually. I'm definitely keeping an eye out for your next installment. :3

[challengetales.livejournal.com]

Is that a Boxcar Children reference I see?

[inferiarecoming.livejournal.com]

Oooh. I'm definitely intrigued by this. Great start!

(and I have to ask, the neighbourhood you're using, is it 'Elsewhere', by plasticbox?)

[inferiarecoming.livejournal.com]

I'm so intrigued by this story line. I love plasticbox's Elsewhere neighbourhood, and I'm curious to see how you work in the other lots and families. The story is so clever, and I love the whole 'Condition X' thing. Can't wait to read more.
Do you mind if I add you as a friend so I can keep up with your updates?