Abandoned - Gator Glade - Story 43

[Abandoned]

Intro


This is the 43rd story in the Smallville series and tells the tale of 5 families still struggling to survive the deadly frog invasion that occurred in Summerset Swamp story #24 located in the southeast corner of the world map, bayou country.  It is one year later, year 63 SVT, and the 5 families that met in the swamp have now met up with a new threat while trying to escape the giant frogs. They reached the conclusion that they couldn't go on and decided to settle in an area they called Gator Glade.


The map seed is # 307920938     Swamp ,  Small,  Swampy Climate,  disaster On, MediumSwamp Start


This map is also a test of a soon to be released new mod Kid Fish n Ships .  It is not an addon to Kid Swamp Thing but does include the mossy swamp texture which I am using in this story.  The texture also works well in a forest setting.  The new mod also has vanilla wood and 2 other wood textures.


Mods activated for this map and load order are:

Map changing and Starting Mods:  Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, New Flora

Tweak Mods:  Better Fields, Increased CC, 1:1 alternative (Voeille), Rock Respawn, Tiny Smoke

Major or Must Have Mods:    An Empty Square, Nomad Sign Complete, Storage Crates, Kid Old Town, Kid Old Town Ports & Pirates, Kid Plimoth Plantation, Kid Swamp Thing

Supporting Mods:    Garden Shed, I See Fire, Kid Cedar Lake Gazebo, Kid Fish n Ships (new, testing ), Kid Gothic Farm, Kid Some Boats, Kid Swamp Legend, Kid Yard Cover, Mother Tree, RK Ducks as Livestock, RK Pigs as Livestock, Water and Other Decorations.



Yes, weary traveler, I will be more than happy to tell you how we survived the giant frog invasion.  If not for the Swamp Legends, I probably would not still be here today to tell the tale.

[Abandoned]

Mood Music:        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_lzeHYNngE


Chapter 1


  My name is Haronda and my husband is Trentony but everyone calls us Trent and Ronda.  I was out gathering mushrooms the day my village was attacked by giant frogs.  Trent was a river boatman who happened by just in time to leap from his boat to pull me to safety up a tree as a horde of giant frogs made their way to my village.  We doubted anyone survived the onslaught.  I was only 16 at the time and was about to be married.   Trent's riverboat was overrun as we fled on foot.   A short time later a couple, with an infant, whose houseboat was overturned joined us.  For months we dodged groups of giant frogs, surviving the best we could.  We rescued 2 starving children from an abandoned shanty, and a women with 2 children whose husband did not survive also joined us.  A young man with his family and brother joined us after fleeing from their overrun fishing village.  We came across a man with a badly infected leg wound, an infant son, and a wife about to give birth to a second child.  There were 19 of us, 10 adults and 9 children, who fought off stray giant frogs, hunger, and exhaustion as we tried to make our way out of the deadly swamp.

After several more months, we thought we made it out when we came to some high ground and foothills but the pass only lead us to an everglade area.  There were several swamp lakes and a wide bayou river that we were in no condition to cross.  We could go no further and we could not go back.  We would settle here.  We began gathering materials to build a barn and houses when Trent called me aside to show me what he had discover by the river.  There was a damaged riverboat taking on water and a dead giant creature floating belly-up in the water beside the boat.  There was no sign of the boatman who was someone Trent would know.  We were about to turn back to tell the others of our discovery when a disturbance across the river caught our attention.  Two of the giant creatures were viciously attacking a giant frog, preventing it from entering the water and reaching us.  Were these creatures friends or another foe we must fight off?

  We had no time to waste, we needed shelter and supplies.  We salvaged everything we could from the damaged riverboat.  We found tools, hide coats, corn and beans plus seeds for each, and bricks made of reeds that could be used as firewood.  We were off to a good start.

[kid1293]

Those frogs are mean. Overturning a houseboat! 

[Abandoned]

Nothing meaner than mother frogs with legless baby frogs    but I know why houseboat overturned.  Giant frogs got on board and all ran to one side to look at the crocs I placed wrong    Crocs with shadows go on land, crocs with no shadows go on water. 

[Abandoned]

Chapter 2


  Trent was the oldest male and was put in charge.  I was not only alone but was the youngest female.  Trent said I should stay with him.  Since the others were paired up, we would then only need 5 houses.  Our first concern was shelter and safety for the families.  The men buried the dead creature.  The brothers, Deland and Darylee, said they had seen this creature before but were not sure if it was a crocodile or an alligator, so we called it a croc-o-gator.   We named our settlement Gator Glade.

  The 1st house was built to the west of the storage barn.  Lamberly's infected leg was improving and he was sure he would be able to plant the corn seeds in the nearby clearing.  There were a lot of reeds to be cleared first.  The 2nd and 3rd houses were built close together, hopefully providing some security.  Each of the 2 families took in one of the orphaned boys we rescued, one would reach school age soon. We began building a school behind the barn far from the river and the creatures.  When we realized we were short of firewood, Deland said he could make some of those fuel bricks with all the reeds we had.  Deland's younger brother, Darylee, decided he would look after the widow and her children.  They moved into the house next to the school.  Our house was built down by the river.  Trent said he'd like to be able to watch for riverboats but if I'd feel safer away from the water we would build somewhere else.  I loved our little swamp house by the river with its cattails and ducks.  We had torches lit by the barn and school, and soon would have them lit by every house.

  By early autumn of year 1 there were 4 newborns in the 5 houses, including our son, Olive.  There was no corn to harvest, it took too long to clear away all the reeds.  We were short on food but did not want to go too far from the safety of the settlement to gather more.  A giant frog crossed the river but 2 croc-o-gators soon stopped it.   Both Deland and his brother, who had been fisherman, said the gators were not likely to bother us as long as they had enough to eat and were not provoked.  Our food supply was low and we went out in the poring rain to gather what little we could find closeby.  Weather permitting, building continued and before long a fishing jetty was constructed.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 3


  Going into the winter months, we had just enough wild foods and fish to survive.  The weather was cold and damp with temperatures just above freezing, we had no warm clothes, in fact we were now low on hide coats.  Trent took over fishing and a small food barn was built near the jetty where he could quickly go to warm up or seek shelter from the swamp creatures if necessary.  Several crocs were seen nearby going after the few giant frogs that were out in the cold.  We began building a stockade fence around the corn field where the crocs were again spotted.  In early spring of year 2, the corn was planted.

  We built a swamp workshop to make clothes from the few wild flax we had gathered, and work on the stockade fence began there too.  We were concerned for the safety of the school children.  So far we only had one student but soon there would be more.

  Our food supply was very low in spring, Trent threw several fish to the croc that was looking for food near the fish jetty.  It was not long before it crossed the river again to pursue a giant frog.  The crocs were doing a good job keeping the frogs away from Gator Glade but we really could not spare the fish to feed them.

  No one was more surprised than I when 4 survivors came through the same pass we had, they were in very bad shape and had not eaten in quite awhile.  I knew them all, but one in particular, he was the man I had been about to marry.  He was unfriendly to me and rude to the woman with him.  Her sister said the child with them was his and was born shortly before the frog invasion.  I was glad I survived the frog invasion and that the frogs saved me from being married to this man.  Three of the 4 newcomers did not survive, they had been too long without food.  Only the sister survived and she was well enough to tend the corn field while recovering in the house we build nearby.  Finishing the 2nd house was put on hold, it would not be need now.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 4


  More hungry crocs gathered around the fish jetty looking for food, making Trent a bit nervous, and he had to feed them more of our fish.  They were soon off after giant frogs across the river and the much needed fish went into the food barn and our pantries.  We were hungry too, and hated putting the children to bed hungry.  Wild foods were still scarce.  Another fisherman was assigned to the fishing jetty.  We were all relieved when the first corn crop was harvested.  Back in spring while building the new house a few wild apple trees were discovered and their blossoms attracted some bees.  The area was cleared and a bee keeper's hut was build.  In early spring of year 3 we had honey and looked forward to apples.  Outside the stockade fence a swamp pond was discovered and soon we had frog legs from the young frogs caught there.

  Work continued on the stockade fence and an area inside was cleared for a small cemetery.  A shorter fence was being build around the designated area. We would all feel safer and more secure once the stockade was completed.  It would take awhile.

  Our food supply was critically low, not much more than what little we had in our pantries.  Christen thought there surely must be crabs in the stagnant river, the wind blew the surface water but underneath there was little current.  A crab jetty was built and crab buoys soon marked where each crab trap was set.

Crissa was now harvesting frog legs from the swamp pond where hungry crocs came looking for frogs.  Planting corn was too much for Crissa, she never really regained her strength and in early summer of year 3 she died of hunger.  Being tired most of the time and living alone she was not eating well.  Lamberly and Tennifer's infant daughter also died of starvation.  Tennifer said the infant just did not want to eat.  Perhaps if we had started the corn harvest early.  We only hoped our supplies would get us through the winter.

[brads3]

KID's beekeeper and other "park" ods are so handy. i keep wanting more of them or dfferent varieties.glad you added some since i last downloaded. 

[Abandoned]

  @brads3 I especially like the berry patch in Kid-Settlers, I knew you would like it too.  Will keep in mind for future 

[brads3]

haven't loaded that 1 yet.need more decoratives like the granny park set too

[Abandoned]

Chapter 5


  In spring of year 4, a sailing ship came into view being pursued by pirates, it hit the sand bar and overturned.  It was immediately overrun with giant frogs and croc-o-gators.  The pirate ship nimbly turned and fled with no booty. Five survivors managed to escape and swim to shore.  They came from Riverview Resort and were headed for Riverboat Junction, they ended up in the swamp trying to outrun the pirates.  They were hungry and exhausted.  The family of 4 moved into Crissa's vacant house and the unfinished house was completed for the single man.  Gator Glade now had 2 men named Lamberly.

  The newcomers had news to tell.  Apparently, the town of Summerset was hardest hit by the giant frog invasion, only a few survivors escaped.  Some thought their harvesting froglegs from young frogs in the ponds caused the giant mother frogs to seek revenge.  Many swamp dwellers perished or were maimed as the frogs made their way to Summerset.  The frogs were dying off now because there were not enough insects left for the magnitude of frogs to feed on.  Pirates were becoming more of a threat in the surrounding areas.

  Trent was disturbed to hear the part the frog ponds had to play in the tragedy.  What to do?  Not only did we need the froglegs for food but the frogs were helping to feed the crocs.  The crocs were already getting closer to town, and our stockade was a long way from providing the safety and security we need.

  Autumn arrived with dropping temperatures and falling rain.  We had very little food and clothing but plenty of fire bricks.  We had problems burning the fire bricks during rainy weather so a covering was built over the stockpile to help keep them dry.  We used what flax we had gathered to make linen clothes.  Warm coats would have been nice for the coming winter months.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 6


  That winter of year 4, the crocs were becoming more of a problem and had to be fed more fish from the pier.  Trent thought that more piers and jetties would discourage them from coming on shore.  A stockpile and small supply barn was built by the small food barn.

  By early spring of year 5, the northwest corner of the stockade was completed.  The builder spotted a croc moving among the rocks not far away.  There were not many frogs around for the crocs to eat but we needed the food the frog pond provided.

  Needless to say we were relieved when a riverboat pulled up to our new pier.  It was not just any boatman but the living legend himself, Kylandro.  He was known throughout the poor areas of the swamp as the boatman who threw in extra items when making a trade and, accidently on purpose, leaving a sack or two of something needed on the dock before he left.  And here he was now bringing aid to the swamp dweller who were in need.  He was happy to see that Trent had also survived the giant frog invasion, many other boatmen did not.  He could not say whose boat it was that we found when we arrived.  He was sorry he had no warm coats but he had linen clothes, iron tools, walnuts, apples, and herbs.  We were to take as much as we wanted of whatever we needed before he had to leave. 

  The apples and walnuts were a welcome addition to our diet that consisted mostly of fish, crabs, and frog legs.  The crocs were becoming a real problem at the swamp pond, they far outnumbered the frogs that survived long enough to breed more frogs.  We needed the food. Hoping to encourage more wild foods to grow, we built a garden shed to harvest trees and reeds.  No crocs had been sighted in that area so gathering wild foods there would be relatively safe.  Work on the stockade continued there and at the waterfront.  Next to the piers and storage barns, Trent set up a book to record the number of fish and crabs that were caught along with supplies from the riverboat.  He set up a scale with weights so bushels of fish and crabs could be weight making it easier to calculate the number of fish and crabs rather than counting each one individually.  Inventory records down by the piers would come in very handy.

[Nilla]

As always @Abandoned you write very amusing stories. Wonder how this will end!

[Abandoned]

Thanks @Nilla , I am having a lot of fun with the deco croc-o-gators 

[Abandoned]

Chapter 7


  In early spring of year 6 we thought we would have to stop frogging in the pond, no one felt safe with so many crocs lurking around.  Two families in a small boat were afraid to land on our shore until the crocs took off after a giant frog leaving the shore clear.  The families came from somewhere near Summerset where the dead and dying frogs were causing diseases and making the water unfit to drink or fish from.  We welcomed them to Gator Glade assuring them that our water was clean and a stockade was almost completed to keep the crocs away from the houses we would build for them.

  In early summer Kylandro returned with more supplies for us.  He confirmed what we were told, there was much death and disease in the swamp.  There were many swamp dwellers in dire need, they were barely surviving, unable to fend for themselves due to illness and injuries.  He did not have as much food and supplies with him this time because he had taken peg leg to those he knew needed them.

  We wondered how many swamp dwellers lost legs and limbs not only to the giant frogs but to the croc-o-gators as well.  So far no one here had suffered any injuries but it was only a matter of time.  Something had to be done about the croc population.  One of the newcomers said the crocs could be killed with spears, it was risky but possible.  It was safer to do so from a boat but then difficult to get the creature to shore, a large net would help.  The meat and leather was worth the risk.  The newcomers were right.  We soon had a croc hunter cabin built near the frog pond that seemed to attract the most crocs and it wasn't long before we had croc meat and leather.