The Newsons: An Interpretation
A couple of days ago I thought about plonking all the bin sims in downtown and playing with them (something I've done before but never really stuck with [big surprise there]). When I was thinking about who would go where, this little scenelet sprang up in my mind. It's quite short but I haven't seen this done with the Newsons before (though someone might have), so I hope it will be enjoyable.
The House of Fallen Trees is an enigma shrouded with mystery, myth, legend and folklore. Many fables circulate SimCity regarding its past - the usual murder, ghost and vampire stories are passed around like cheap cigarettes at a teenage party. The manor is one with SimCity, the stories so old hat that nobody regards the place any differently than they would the city hall or local hospital. But in recent times, a new mythos has sprung up. Apparently, if you listen very closely, late at night... you can hear children crying.
'Please hurry up, Gav... I swear that old woman saw us go through the gate.' a scrawny, haggard young girl begged her brother, Gavin as he fought to remove nailed planks from the back door to the house.
'Just... give me... a minute, Ginger.' he huffed inbetween bursts of strength, wrenching the wood away one by one.
The Newsons' tale was one of blissful contentment, powerful shock and immense fear. After the death of their adoptive mother, it was just the six of them. Six children, unmistakable from local street urchins and vagrants.
A single, defining moment was all it took for the Newsons' lives as happy, secure children to be over.
The planks weren't getting any easier to break off. If his fingers weren't completely calloused by this point, Gavin was sure he'd have hundreds of tiny splinters
Faced with being split up and divided between other families, Gavin and Ginger made a selfish, split-second decision. They bolted with their siblings in tow, and had been on the run ever since. The first few months were very tough and there were frequent times when they had considered handing themselves over to the social worker, but somehow they persevered. They survived by Gavin finding odd jobs, scavenging for berries and stealing clothes from washing lines. He had no idea who would willingly wear the kind of leather get-up he currently begrudgingly wore, but he never wanted to meet them. While he worked at the wood, Gavin tried to figure out how long they had been moving from place to place. It must be coming up to a year now... a year since Gavin and Ginger hadn't had to worry about the wellbeing of four small children, a year since they'd had a warm meal or bed.
'Plumbob, Gav, will you hurry it up? Someone might see us any second!' Ginger began to fret, rubbing her forehead and smoothing back her hair.
Gavin sighed irritably. 'Hey, Ginger, you know what helps?' he paused a second for effect, 'Well, it's not you shouting in my ear!'
He didn't mean to be rude, but Ginger had been especially highly-strung since Gallagher had gotten sick. Originally it was just a cold from a night they spent on a park bench, but after several weeks it didn't seem to be going away. They both knew he needed a doctor, but they couldn't afford to be caught now.
It took a few more minutes, but eventually Gavin got rid of the last of the planks and the rabble of children made their way inside.
It was no warmer on the inside, much to Ginger's dismay. Warmth was the whole reason they were doing this - winter was fast approaching SimCity and Ginger knew that they couldn't stay outside. When she heard how the House of Fallen Trees hadn't been inhabited for decades, she decided it would be the perfect place to squat, at least until winter was over. She had gone to survey the area a week before and noticed the chimney stacks towering above her. She silently begged that they were still in working order.
'This is it, guys. Our new home.' Gavin announced as they entered. Both the teenagers monitored their siblings' reactions closesly. Gabriella couldn't help but wrinkle her nose, Gallagher smiled weakly for Ginger and Gavin's benefit, and the twins were almost asleep in their arms.
Ginger and Gavin couldn't blame their lackluster reaction. Dust caked every surface and the entire house stank of mold and dryrot. A few pieces of mostly broken furniture littered the rooms, and the cobwebs were so thick they could probably trap one of the twins in them. But it had a roof, and that was all they cared about right now.
'Shall we go to the top floor?' One who didn't know Ginger would think it was a suggestion.
The family trudged up the creaky steps with a growing sense they were not alone.
After a good hour, the Newsons had set up in a small room together with a fireplace. Gavin fetched some of the planks barring the back door originally and dumped them unceremoniously in it. As he used his trusty lighter to start the fire, he looked over to where Georgia sat on her tiny bed. To their unnerving luck, there were a few beds left in the house, two of which were for very small children.
'You okay there Georgie?' Gavin cooed while Ginger wrangled with Garrett and his pajamas.
Georgia smiled her response, and Gavin couldn't help but return it. In the morning, Gavin would go out with his fake ID and look for work, but now was a time for relief and relaxation.
Once Garrett had started to settle, Ginger stared at Gavin for a long time. The room was quiet; only the crackle of the fire and the occasional gurgle from the twins could be heard.
Eventually, Ginger spoke. 'We should only light the fire at night. The smoke will be too obvious in the day.'
Without looking up from the weak embers, Gavin nodded. 'I know.'
'Tomorrow, I think I'll go to the library and find some books about... sickness. You know...' Gavin could hear the reluctance in her whispered voice. They didn't want to alarm the little ones, so they kept Gallagher's 'flu' quiet.
'Sounds like a good idea.' he murmured.
Suddenly, a disproportionately bright and bubbly voice broke their hurried mutterings. 'Can you tell us a bedtime story, Gingie?' Gabriella pleaded in her most sugary-sweet voice.
It was as if a fire had been lit inside Ginger. With a complete change of tune, she turned to face her younger siblings.
'Okay, but just this one and then it's time for bed. We're all very tired from today!' she spoke as if they had not just broken into private property illegally. She cleared her throat loudly for dramatic effect, 'Once upon a time, there was a lovely girl called Gabriella!'
'Ooh! I want to be a princess!' she interrupted joyfully.
Ginger gave a small laugh. 'Okay then. Gabriella the princess had a best friend called Gallagher.'
'And he was a robot!' Gallagher shouted, before giving a loud cough.
She chose not to dwell on his coughing and went on regardless, 'Well of course,' Ginger stated, matter-of-fact, 'Robots were commonplace in the days of princesses. So anyway, one day Gabriella and Gallagher were walking in the woods...'
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That was my grand idea! :P It's a little bit cliché but I sort of like it.
I'm not sure if I'm happy with my writing though. I don't know if I'll continue them beyond this scenelet, but I have other ideas of what to do with them. I doubt this'll be a full-blown story but it certainly was fun to shoot and write! :)
Thanks for stopping by and have a good day!