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Abandoned - Trilogy - part 1 - Morningside - Story 39

Started by Abandoned, March 20, 2019, 05:43:15 AM

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Abandoned

Happy First Day of Spring, weary traveler.  :)


Into to Trilogy:

Morningside is the 1st part of a 3 part trilogy.  Morningside is located on the east side of Sunrise Mountain in the northeast corner of the World Map. Part 1 is being told in Morningside but the story actually begins on a farm to the southwest.  It was an old family farm like the one the settlers of Smallville came from.  The farm in this trilogy was settled by the O'Leary family and was passed down from one generation to the next.  The farmstead was known to river boatmen simply as O'Leary's Farm.  The trilogy begins there in year 52 SVT shortly after the farm was hit by a deadly tornado.  It was the same tornado that cut a path through the farm settlement to the south that was abandoned and would later become the town of Springfield of story #23, the same tornado that would continue on from there and claim several lives in the town of Newport of story #12.  Part 1 of the trilogy will be told by one of the O'Leary's Farm survivors.

Abandoned

#1
Prologue:

  Top of the morning to you, weary traveler.  I hope you slept well.  To be sure tis a fine spring morning here in Morningside.  Yes, I am one of the O'Leary survivors, I am Brean and my husband is Frederick O'Leary. We were married only a short time before the tornado touched down north of the farm.  Two other couples and my sister, Jillian, also survived.  We were all outside beginning our morning chores so we were out of the direct path of the tornado.  We only received some minor injuries.  Our parent had been out late at the local tavern having a pint or two to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and, as was tradition, were all sleeping late that morning.  None of them survived.  Two older siblings and two younger ones, as well as Mrs. O'Leary, our grandma, also perished.  Yes, a tragic loss for all of us.  We thought it was Grandma's good luck wish that saved us, she would always say, "May your blessings out number the shamrocks that grow and trouble avoid you whereever you go."  The tornado avoided us and we survived but our troubles did not end there.  We were devastated by our loses and worried about our future.  We were left with little more than good memories of our parents and grandparents and stories of wee folks and leprechauns, and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.

  There was no rainbow at the end of the storm, just devastation.  The tornado touched down across the river to the north, lifted briefly, then set down again on this side and continued on, destroying everything and everyone in its path.  The fishing pier and house at north point were destroyed as were 2 other homes in the north.  The tavern and farm house were also gone.  The main barn and its contents were badly damaged.  Grandma's house still had its roof but not much else.  We buried grandma next to grandpa's grave by the hedgerow where her favorite apple tree still stood.  Grandma's animal shed was destroyed but somehow the chickens and her cow survived.  My sister, Jillian, had been staying with Grandma and helped care for the animals.  I once said I thought my sister liked animal more than people, and Grandma said "tastes differ" as she kissed her cow.

  The damage didn't stop there.  Behind the destroyed shed along the river, a large tree broke off and extended out into the river.  Spring planting had just begun in the 2 crop field which were badly torn up and all of our seeds yet to be planted were scattered to the winds.  Two more farmhouses were destroyed and another barn badly damaged.  Only the old school remained intact.  Had the tornado waited another hour to touchdown the two young children that died would have been safe and unharmed in the schoolhouse. 

  Amidst all the tears we managed to bury our loved ones.  We were exhausted, cold, and hungry.  We wondered how we could possibly survive, we had no crops and no seed and no housing, nothing.  And then, one man and two couples came to our rescue.  A houseboat arrived one day in the poring rain.  They took us aboard where it was warm and dry and we agreed that our best chance of survival would be to travel with them upriver.  They were headed to Sunrise Mountain to do some mining.  The sun came out briefly as if it were a sign our decision was the right one,  but the rain returned as we loaded what few supplies we had onto the houseboat.  My sister was distraught at the thought of leaving Grandma's chickens and the cow behind.  Jillian was taking the loses harder than the rest of us, she was closest to Grandma and she loved those animals.  I got her to lay down to sleep early, we would be leaving the farm first thing in the morning. 

kid1293


Abandoned


Abandoned

#4
Intro to Morningside - Story 39


  The houseboat with the 7 survivors and 5 rescuers made its way north, and when the water rose they crossed over to the smaller river and traveled northeast until the river widened again.  The river  was being fed by streams from a large body of water to the north and to the east, and the river now had a high and low tide too.  The tide was at its ebb by the time the houseboat reached the small valley on the east side of Sunrise Mountain, the swirling tide pool was calm enough to safely maneuver the houseboat to shore.

Note:  The 5 rescuers will continue on to the next story and map. This map starts with 6 adults, they are the 3 surviving couples from O'Leary's farm plus Jillian, who is not physically on the map.  Her sister, Brean, continues to tell the story.

The Map is  # 368631743                Valley,  Small,  Fair,  Disasters Off,  Trio Start (6 adults)

Mods enabled and load order:

Starting and Map Changing Mods:  Call of Nature Soundtrack, Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, CC light Rain, Color Roads, New Flora Edit, New Trees, Multiple Starts (Tikaszar)

Tweak Mods:   Better Fields, Busy Pastures, Hunting, Increased CC, Longer Living Orchards, 1:1 Alternative, Rock Respawn

Major or Must Have Mods:   An Empty Square, Nomad Sign Complete, Storage Crates v1, CC Stacked Shops & Homes, Kid Alotofseeds Trader, Kid GrowHuntFish, Kid Old Town, Kid Tiny, Kid Workplace Village.

Supporting Mods:   A8 Moroccan Tea, Fly Fishing, Kid Abandoned Places, Kid Bed and Breakfast v1.2 (testing update), Kid Garden Shed 2, Kid House Boat, Kid Mist, Kid Some Boats, RK Pigs as Livestock, Sample White Chicken

Thank you @kid1293 for the mod updates, the behind-the-scenes story consultations, and encouragement  :)



Yes, weary traveler, that tide pool is rather frightening at high tide, even at low tide it is dangerous.  Before the tide came in the next morning, the men had built a short pier so the rest of us could get off the houseboat safely.  They gathered resources and also built a small bridge across the stream to the north in order to reach the high mountain pass that led up into Sunrise Mountain.  We took one look at the valley before us in the morning light and decided we wanted to settle here, we were farmers not miners.  As you know, we named our settlement Morningside. Our 5 rescuers would travel by foot up to the high mountain pass and leave the houseboat in our care here in the low valley on the east side of Sunrise Mountain.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXu1U-sTQ_w

Abandoned

#5
Chapter 1
 
When I awoke that first morning Jillian was still sleep, she had cried herself to sleep the night before.  I let her sleep but I had to go back and wake her when I saw that our rescuers had somehow managed to bring Grandma's cow and chickens with us. My Frederick was fishing for trout nearby, he knew without asking that I would want to stay here.  As soon as the decision was made the men began building a storage barn.  They took our old supply cart, that they brought along, over to it so we could divide up its contents between us.  They gave us half the coats, tools, and potatoes from the houseboat.  There were also freshly gathered berries and wild oats to take to the houseboat to have with the fish for breakfast.  Jillian would eat later, she was busy gathering more wild oats to feed the cow and chickens.  When I told her we would be staying in this valley she simply said she wanted to go home.

  It was not long before our 5 rescuers were ready to go, our men would help them get the supply wagon up the mountain pass.  Goodbyes were being said at the bridge.  We could not thank them enough for all their help, not only for rescuing us, but the cow and chickens as well.  Abrie, one of the women, said that was Jack's doing.  He was apparently the one in charge and the builder of the houseboat. There were some tears and hugs before the group turned and crossed the bridge.  It was then that Jillian came to join us, her arms full of wild oats.  She stopped and stared at the group across the river heading towards the mountains. It was at that moment that he stopped also and turned to look back at her, big blue eyes met gentle green ones.  The two had never met but there was a connection there, a knowing look of something shared between them.  My first thought, as I looked from one to the other, was it must be love, the moment seemed frozen in time.  Jillian tipped her head slightly sideways giving him a puzzled look as Jack raised his hand as if to wave.  The spell was broken as he turned and walked away.  I told her it was he who saved the cow and chickens.  She said she knew, I don't know how she knew, but she knew.  She too turned and walked away.

  That brief moment changed Jillian, she became more withdrawn and pensive with an air of sadness that went deeper than the previous loss of home and loved ones.  She spent a lot of time caring for the animals in the animal shed that was built close to the houseboat. She helped care for the 3 babies that were born in late summer.  It was crowded and noisy with 3 crying babies in the houseboat.  Frederick and I built a house across from it but when the house was finished Jillian said she would rather stay on the houseboat.  She moved her things into the back room with windows facing Sunrise Mountain.  By the end of that first year a second-floor house was built above the storage barn, and a woodcutter was busy chopping firewood to keep the houses and the houseboat warm.

Abandoned

#6
Chapter 2

  When the snow melted and the weather began to warm in the spring of year 2, Jillian began taking longs walks.  She was up and out early, often when the morning mist still hovered over the stream she crossed.  She always returned with branches, berries, or wild oats.  One morning she returned with 2 mountain sheep she found grazing by the far stream.  She put them temporarily in the shed with the cow.  They were young and eagerly drank the cow's milk she fed them.   A small storage shed had been built next to the animal shed by then, and a sheep shed would be built next to that.  By the main stockpile a blacksmith was being built with a house above it.  Jillian would have the houseboat to herself. 

  We were surprised in early summer when Savio, Abrie's husband, came down from the mountain pass.  He had been hunting on the other side of the mountain close enough to pay a visit and see how we were all doing.  He said Jack had often wondered if we were alright here.  Answering Jillian's unasked question, Savio said Jack was fine.  They were all fine and doing well but it was slow going, they had 2 less workers than we did until this spring when 2 families arrived from farther north.  In early autumn of last year he and Abrie had a son, and Sandyn and Monserra had a daughter.  He stayed the night in the storage barn and after breakfast he headed back up the mountain. We wrapped some eggs in wool  and added them to a sack of wild foods.  We sent the sack and our best wishes back with him. 

  In autumn Frederick and I had our first son, Maver.  In late autumn the tailor was build across from the sheep shed.  We had to take turns working at the different jobs that needed doing.  When there were enough iron tools on hand, the blacksmith would take over as laborer and someone would begin making warm coats with leather and wool for the coming winter.  We would be warm and well fed here in Morningside.


Abandoned

#7
Chapter 3

  We were farmers and spring just wasn't spring without fields to work and crops to plant.  We need seeds. Back on the farm we always saved seeds from one harvest to plant the following year, but we had no harvest and no seeds.  We began building a trading post in early spring of year 3 and wondered what we could possibly use for trade goods.  There was a lot of surface iron, we would just need to collect it.  We had some firewood and a little wool.  We would begin taking those items to the trading post when it was finished.  We built a small town hall near the trading post to keep track of what we had and what we didn't have.

  In late autumn, Hatti, the seed merchant arrived.  He went past the new settlement up in the mountains but they apparently weren't interesting in trading, they had no trading post.  They seemed to be doing okay from what he could see. They had a precious mine and a placer mine on the river bank.  The river was fast up that way with all the runoff from the higher mountains, so he went past pretty fast.  Hatti had a good selection of seeds with him but they were very expensive.  We were told to keep in mind that a sack of seeds would plant many fields and seeds weren't that easy to come by, there was a bigger demand now.  He couldn't guarantee he would always have the seeds we wanted or needed.  We would have liked the potato and wheat seeds but did not have near enough trade goods for even one.  He did say he would take our wool, iron, firewood, and even some logs in trade when he returned.  He only traded seeds, if we wanted other goods or livestock he'd spread the word but we'd need another trading post.

  Well, all we could do was try to have enough trade good when he returned, and perhaps build a trading post for livestock.  More animals to care for might help cheer-up Jillian.  There were 2 more babies to care for now, Kathew and Venessandra had a baby boy in late summer, and August and Erlee had a baby girl in Autumn.  At the end of year 3 Morningside had a population of 12, 6 adults and 6 young children.

Abandoned

#8
Chapter 4

  We began clearing an area for a crop field in case we were able to get seeds in time for spring  planting.  Hatti returned in early spring of year 4 but still we did not have enough trade goods.  Firewood would probably be our best bet, we had little else. We build a garden shed forester near  the trading post and a wood chopper.  Not far from the 2 story rowhouses we added a 2nd garden shed, we did not have enough workers so clothing and tool making were put on hold. 

  We were so surprised when in spring, a group of migrants came through the pass and down into our valley.  They had been to Sunrise Mountain Mines, and since they were trying to escape the cold, they were turned away and told to come here.  As far as we knew the Mines had even less workers than we had so we were even more surprised.  We would not turn willing workers away.  They moved into the houseboat with Jillian.  They had two young children and again Jillian spent more time with the animals.  We would need more housing, and we would soon need a school. 

  By summer we had a trading post for livestock built.  I hoped that with extra workers we would be able to have enough trade goods for seeds and livestock.  More animals would surely cheer up Jillian.

  By early winter, one house was built right next to the school and a 2nd floor would be added. Shortly after, Hatti returned to port and Katelinett, the livestock merchant, soon followed.  He had leghorn chickens that Jillian would have loved but we did not have enough trade goods.  Both traders waited but Katelinett could wait no longer and left in late winter.  We managed to get enough firewood and other goods together to make a trade for wheat seeds before the year ended.

Abandoned

#9
Chapter 5 

  Early spring finally arrived and we were finally doing what we do best, farming.  As soon as the ground was warm and dry enough to work, the wheat seeds were being planted.

  In spring, 3 families arrived.  They had a farm and settlement in the meadowlands not far northwest of our O'Leary farmstead.  They had quite a bit of damage from that same storm that swept across the open lands, and they had several severe summer storms since.  They finally decided to move to the foothills and followed the river here.  They would be more than happy to stay in Morningside with us.  We needed more houses.  We were still building houses for the families that came last year from Sunrise Mountain Mines.  The houseboat was overcrowded, Jillian was not happy.

  The newcomers shared interesting information with us about cleaning the animal shed and crop fields and making compost.  They knew how to grow crops year round in greenhouses, and one of the men had been a miller.  We were eager to put this newfound knowledge to work.  We built a cleaning shed and had plans to build a compost bin and a mill.   We cleared a second cropfield.  Even after our wheat was harvested our food supply was low.  We took to the woods to collect wild foods and branches.  Home building continued.  By autumn there was still one family living in the houseboat with Jillian, and then Abrie and her 1 year old daughter came down the mountain pass to stay for a while.

  It was wonderful to see her and we had so much to catch up on.  She and her daughter came down with summer colds and when the cold damp weather of autumn set in they were not improving.  They would only get worse over the winter in the mountains.  They were more than welcome to stay with us, afterall it was their houseboat.  Their arrival gave Jillian an idea and it was the first real interest she had shown in anything other than the animals since we arrived.  That was a good sign but I did hear her tell Abrie that she wanted to go home.

  By early winter we had enough houses built and enough firewood to heat them.  By late winter, Jillian's idea became a reality, a Bed & Breakfast hostel for new arrivals or visitors from Sunrise Mountain Mines was completed.


Jinxiewinxie

That bed and breakfast is purdy! Thank you for highlighting it =) (as always, love the story and can't wait to learn more about Morningside!)

Abandoned

 :)  The Bed & Breakfast mod really is such a pretty set, I love the textures, and now Kid has added some nice new pieces.  :)  Glad you are enjoying the story, thanks  :)

Abandoned

#12
Chapter 6

  Abrie and I had such a nice visit.  We talked about everything that happened since the day we all first arrived here, and we talked about that day, and we talked about Jack and Jillian.  She too noticed their parting look and thought there was a connection.  Abrie said Jack asked her husband Savio to check on us and Jillian, I said I was sure Jillian still thought about Jack too.  We agreed it would be sad if those two did not get together.  My husband, Frederick, overheard us and told us to stay out of it, we were not to interfere.  If anything between those two was meant to be, it would be. 

  All to soon it was early spring and time for Abrie and her daughter to return home to Sunrise Mountain.  Jillian and I walked with them up to the pass and returned with seedlings of a plant that Abrie said would produce a bean that could be brewed into a beverage called coffee.  Mountain grown coffee beans were the best kind.  It snowed when we got back to Morningside.

  Katlinett, the livestock merchant, returned with more chickens.  We had enough trade goods for 4 of them.  We did not want to take land away from either of our garden shed foresters so a pasture was being prepared on the other side of the tide pool not far from the Bed & Breakfast hostel.  That early spring snow killed off some of the wheat that had already been coming up in the new field.  There was a windmill build and waiting for the harvest.  Our food supply was very low.  We took to the woods to gather wild foods and a hunting stand was built near the crop fields.  We build a growhouse near the cleaning shed and compost bin.  We dug up some wild oats and transplanted them into the growhouse.  We hoped a year round crop of oats would help stabilize our food supply.

  Over by the pasture the workers found some wild apple trees growing.  So the trees would not be accidently cut down, a protective plaza was built around them.  Out back behind the Bed & Breakfast a small greenhouse now protected the coffee bean seedlings.  By late winter a house and storage barn were also built.

Abandoned

#13
Chapter 7

  In spring of year 7, Katelinett, the livestock merchant, brought pigs.  We could only afford 3 of them and hoped that he would return with more.  Jillian did not show much interest in the new animals as I thought she would.  She seemed more interested in the Breakfast Nook and what menus we could offer.  With care we would soon have apples from the plaza and could serve fruit and oatmeal.

  Jillian's dream of having the houseboat to herself was short lived.  There was not enough room in the Bed & Breakfast for the families that arrived that spring, one family had to stay in the houseboat with her.  They came down from Sunrise Mountain Mines where 1 family and 1 young man decided to stay.  I continued to wonder why Jillian wanted to stay in the houseboat.  I could understand why she would not want to move into our small house with our 2 young children, but she could have a small place of her own.  She said she liked the rocking of the boat especially when trying to fall asleep, I thought it was more than that.  Maybe it was her last link to the farm like the cow and chickens were, or maybe it was because she hoped Jack would return and take her home.

  The pigs were pastured on the other side of the tide pool near the small maple grove that was discovered by one of the newcomers.  His father had been a forester and his mother a gatherer, so he knew a lot about trees and plants.  He told us how to collect sap and make maple syrup.  A sap collectors hut was built by the trees.  Jillian said we could certainly think of some good thing to use the syrup with.  She also suggested a bakery to make bread that could be toasted and served with fruit jam or wild honey.  We thought a bakery for bread was a good idea.  The newcomer also told us that there was talk among the workers up in the mining town of some of them coming down to stay for a short break from the mines and the harsh mountain winter. I told Savio, in that case, a wider variety of breakfast foods was a good idea. The chickens were thriving so we had plenty of eggs.  Savio agreed and a bakery was built in town.  He said with the new foods and menus and visitors maybe Jillian would find herself a husband, afterall, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.  Hmmmm.  Grandma used to say that so Jillian must have heard that too.

  The newcomers arrival brought Morningside's population to 52, 28 adults, 2 students, and 22 young children.



Abandoned

#14
Chapter 8

  It snowed again in early spring just after the farmers returned to their fields, and it snowed again in spring.  The temperature hovered around the freezing point.  We hoped our wheat crop would not be a total loss.  The cold and snow did not stop the maple trees from being tapped and the sap collected.  A sap boiler was built nearby and a stockpile for branches, the boiler would need a steady supply of firewood.  A second floor was built on the nearby worker's cabin and Jillian finally had the houseboat to herself.

  Jillian did changed the Breakfast Nook menu again to the fresh baked bread lightly toasted with wild honey was spread on top. Served with a cup of morning coffee it was a very nice breakfast.  If that didn't appeal to the taste buds, one could always go next door to the new Rise and Shine bakery and get a pastry like Grandma used to make with wild honey.  I was eager to try one made with maple syrup.

  Even on a frosty morning in autumn, couples would take their cup of coffee out to the plaza to enjoy.  One morning I saw Jillian pick up the two blue mugs that had been left on the table instead of being returned to Breakfast Nook.  Jillian stopped and gazed up towards the mountain pass and it seemed to me she was wondering what it would be like to sit and enjoy a mug of coffee with Jack.  Well, that may just have been my imagination, but when Abrie and her daughter returned for a visit shortly after that, she said Jack was restless and often stared off into the direction of the mountain pass too.  Abrie and her daughter were both suffering from some type of respiratory problem that returned every autumn now and worsened over the winter months in the mountains.  It was a lingering problem since they were here last, they would become frequent visitors.  Abrie said Jack was encouraging others to take a break from their work and the mountain winters to come for a visit.  He did not comment when she suggested he do the same.

  Winter again came early to our valley and again we lost part of our wheat harvest.  Added to what was lost because of the late spring snow, the harvest was very poor. At least the tea seedlings that Hatti, the seed merchant, brought were getting planted in an orchard next to the wheat field.  Tea was something new to us, it would produce a tasty beverage somewhat like coffee but it was brewed from tea leaves rather than beans.

  In late autumn, Katelinett brought us 3 more pigs.  The pasture was now full.