Intro
This is the 87th story in the Smallville Series. It is a sequel to Crash Site story 82 where an alien spaceship was forced to settle after making a crash landing. That site was some distance south of the Hunting Grounds of story 86. The aliens sent a message to Mission Control and finally received a reply. The message said that the home planet was being evacuated because natural resources had been depleted. Mission control determined the Mother Ship's location and would be dropping supplies needed to repair it. The scan of the planet also found an energy source high in the mountains in the northeast corner of the World Map. A copy of that scan and one of a possible landing site was sent with the message. In year 40 SVT, the Mother Ship left the crash site in the desert southwest and headed for the snow-covered mountains in the northeast.
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Map seed # 282302852 Valley, Small, More Snow, Disasters Off, Easy Ice Castle 8 Families
Mods activated for this map and load order are:
Map Changing and Starting Mods: Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, CC Light Rain, Kid Frozen Ponds (new, testing, see mod note*), Override Fewer Trees, Settler Deco, Jinxie Natural Decorations, Kid New Flora Edit
Tweak Mods: Fishing Dock +25%, Increased CC, 1:1 Alternative (Voeille), override Winter Clothes, Rock Respawn, Tiny Smoke
Major or Must Have Mods: An Empty Square, Nomads (Kid), override Uneducated, Storage Crates, Jinxie Festival Park, Kid Abandoned Places SE, Kid Ice Castle, Kid Out of This World Houses (update, testing, see mod note*), Kid OOTW Deco
Supporting Mods: Christmas Mod 2021, I See Fire (RK), Kid Deco People, Kid Deco Wreaths, Kid Hedgerow, Kid Market Carts, Kid Market Food, Kid Nativity Chapel, Kid Work Shop, Specialized Stockpiles
Mod note*: Christmas Mod has not been updated this year but the new Kid Frozen Ponds is made to match. It was not added to Christmas Mod because Kid Frozen Ponds includes Kid More Snow climate. Place Kid Frozen Ponds high in your mod list if other climates are used.
OOTW Houses mod is being updated with different building materials. Stone and Iron are used.
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I am glad to see you too, weary traveler. I regretted not saying goodbye and thanking you for the care you gave me, but I was again beamed up into the alien's hoverer before I got back to my old village where you were waiting for me. I had no idea you would still be looking for me after all this time. I think you understand why I could not contact you. Have a cup of hot cocoa while I tell you what happened.
Chapter 1
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I stood alone a long time after you went back to my abandoned village, weary traveler. I could not believe that the space complex I called home for 7 years and my family were gone and that it was all a dream that I had while recovering from being hit in the head with a rock, like you said. What I did not remember or did not know was that 3 things happened at the same time.
We got a message from mission control that they got our distress call and were going to drop a space capsule of parts to repair our Mother Ship. There was no decision for me to make, I would leave with K12D93 and our children, but I wanted to visit my old village one last time before leaving this planet behind. You're right, weary traveler, that was no falling star that sent the rocks flying, knocking me unconscious, it was that capsule. As fate would have it, as I made my way to the village, our complex's surveillance scanner spotted your group of migrants coming from the south on the other side of the river. For fear of detection an invisibility shield was enable over the complex and the Mother Ship just before the capsule was dropped. The force of its landing sent rocks flying, one hit me, and you found me. What I didn't know was the Mother Ship was repaired, the complex dismantled, and recycled, and that K12D93 was watching and waiting for a chance to beam me up. He got that chance as I followed you back to the village.
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I was beamed up for a happy reunion with my family before being taken to the Mother Ship. The hoverer was taken aboard, and we flew first north, then east over the least populated areas. We did not have enough power to fly and keep the invisibility shield in place for long. We would find the needed energy source in the northeast mountains. Yes, weary traveler, our Mother Ship must be the iron bird that flies with no wings that the Native people told you about as you searched for me. It flew from the hot and sunny desert to this cold and snowy mountain. Welcome to Crater Lakes, weary traveler.
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Chapter 2
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The hoverer was used to shuttle families and the supply carts across the river to the area chosen as a production center for building materials. The first families to be shuttled over already had quite a bit of wood, stone, and iron on the stockpile. The first group that left the Mother Ship consisted of 16 adults and 10 children including KD, myself, and our 2 children. There were 62 of us that left the Crash Site, 49 adults with 13 children. It would take a while to produce building materials and build homes for everyone who wanted to leave the Mother Ship. There were several ice caves on this side of the river to shelter in until the first homes were built.
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Yes, K12D93 had changed his unit number to its earthling translation of Kelviller but I still called him KD. Being in charge of the expedition the others still called him by his unit number out of respect. He stilled called me Earthling even though my name is Dolorelai. Our daughter, Arthenia, was 6 and our son, Rossevelyn was 2. Like me, this was the first time they, and the other children born at the Crash Site, had seen snow. I was glad that the workers at the Crash Site's clothes fabricator took Mission Control's advice and made warm winter clothes while the Mother Ship was being repaired. It was cold in the ice caves, and luckily there were no bears in them.
There were several beautiful white bears that greeted us. They were not aggressive and only seemed curious about what we were doing. The information packet from Mission Control made mention of these bears saying that their friendly nature and curiosity caused them to fall victim to hunters and they were considered endangered. We would not overhunt them, if at all. There was also another large harmless creature that roamed this area, it was not edible. There was however a large deer called an elk that would provide meat and hides. I never saw or heard of these animals before, but I figured we would have enough to eat here.
Chapter 3
We had plenty of supplies and there were more back on the Mother Ship. Here we found a hedgerow that had winterberries and winter-hardy herbs, and another with the same berries and snowshoe rabbits for meat. Both hedgerows had branches we could use as firewood. There were more branches and some wild foods to be gathered in the surrounding pine forests. There were 2 lakes and the river from which we could catch fish.
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Workers going from the storage carts to one of the hedgerows heard the sound of ice cracking beneath their feet. This could be dangerous. Workers with shovels soon discovered a frozen pond beneath the snow. They marked the broken area with crates so others would see and not fall into the water, but the rest of the ice was solid and safe to walk on. There were sure to be fish to catch beneath the ice.
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The aliens were familiar with both snow and ice from back on their home planet. Misson Control's report on this location made mention of the 2 lakes that, like the rivers, are heated by an underground heat source here in the north that keeps this world's rivers and large lakes from freezing over in winter. Shallow lakes and ponds are likely to be frozen over. Preliminary indications are that a meteor from outer space may be responsible for crashing here and forming the crater this valley is in, and for sending those heat producing energy crystals below ground. Misson Control's scan found crystal heated hot springs on the north coast, and surface crystals in a canyon some distance west of here. You're not going to believe this, weary traveler, but there is a secret settlement there of Elves that use the power of those crystals to cast magic spells. Yes, magic, can you believe that? I was finding out so much about our world that I didn't know that I was beginning to feel like I was the alien. Anyways, it was those energy crystals in this crater that we came to this mountain valley to find, and that's why we named our settlement Crater Lakes.
can't wait to read the next chapter :)
:)
Chapter 4
We discovered that the surface crystals here are ice shards but the ones just below the surface have absorbed the power of both the sun and the earth and are quite powerful. They are just the energy supply we needed to help power and heat the Mother Ship, to provide the building material needed to construct a living complex, and to recharge power cells. The living complex was needed until the ship could be stocked with enough energy crystals to last for many years of space travel. Back at the Crash Site, we used glass and a wood alloy from a mud works and mineral extractor. Here we will make glass at a Crystal Works and use wood and iron at the Coal Extractor to make steel. Those 2 buildings were built by the main stockpile along with a firewood chopper. Two survival pods were built and heated with power cells for those that found the caves too cold. Most of the aliens were not bothered too much by the cold, and they have become accustomed to breathing our air.
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The older alien children who were old enough to remember their home planet really seemed to enjoy the cold and snow. When big fluffy snowflakes began to fall, the children were all outside building snowmen and playing with wooden sleds. Some of them put on a strange pair of shoes that had iron blades on the bottom. They called them ice skates and used these shoes to slide across the ice. They were having such fun racing each other and spinning and turning. The older children were teaching some of the younger ones who often ended up sitting on the ice instead of skating on it. Our 6-year-old, Arthenia, was learning fast and having fun. An adult fishing from the hole in the frozen pond would make sure none of the children got too close to the open water.
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Chapter 5
Now that we had building materials we could start work on the complex, but first we built a forester and a hunter east of the production area. We would soon need more logs for the extractor and chopper, and we would need hides for coats. Two herds of elk were spotted in that area.
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The complex would be constructed north of the Mother Ship by the lake. KD and I would have a large house next to the Command Center where we would have a large upstairs room with a view of the lake. A learning center was also under construction there. Two children had already missed starting school, and our Arthenia would be starting soon. All the building in the complex would have connecting tunnels heated by the crystal glass. The school children living in the complex would not have to get up and go out into the cold to go to school. I would teach in the school but would work on the inventory and town records too.
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The coat and tool supply were good for the time being but we needed food, and we needed workers. We could not feed and house more families from the Mother Ship yet. We needed a landing pod so we could bring supplies from the Mother Ship by boat, the hoverer's energy cells needed recharging. There was just so much more that needed to be done first.
Chapter 6
Two canopy houses were built by the learning center and we had a new teacher. Our Arthenia was the first student and she had a new baby sister we named Rillison. Behind our house the first hydro pod was built, we would have corn. A covered bridge was built from the complex site to the Mother Ship side of the river in case we needed anything before the landing pod was built.
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The covered bridge was used by our blacksmith who was still living and working on the Mother Ship. He had been busy making more ice skates for both children and adults. A small shed was built by the frozen pond where the skates would be kept. There was now a bench to sit on while putting on the skates. The storage carts had been emptied into the small storage depot and the carts stored in the ice cave storage over by the complex. Arthenia, who was taught by the alien children, and KD would teach me how to skate.
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I felt a little less alien on my own planet when I had something new to teach the others. They didn't know anything about Christmas because Crash Site was in the southwest where there was endless summer. Being from the southwest myself, I didn't know much but only what I had been told by migrants. Here in the north it was winter and it was now Saint Nicholas' Day. I told the parents to have their children hang their stockings by their cook fires that night and in the morning they would find them filled with treats from St. Nick.
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All the younger children were in bed asleep when St. Nick came and parked his sleigh halfway between the production area and the complex. KD and I welcomed him. Yes, weary traveler, you were not the first to find us. St. Nick was happy to have found us and would secretly tell my parents I was alive and well. KD was amazed and fascinated by the flying reindeer, magic feed corn not energy cell he was told. St. Nick quickly got to work filling all the children's stockings, including those on the Mother Ship, with apples, oranges, sugarplum candy, and a Christmas cookie. We had a lot to do before Christmas, there would be a lot more surprises.
Chapter 7
Shortly after St. Nick's visit, our trading pod was built. We could expect a supply boat from the Mother Ship to arrive soon. There were more ice blocks that formed on the river, almost blocking it, but there was room for the small boat to turn around to go back to the Mother Ship. There were things we needed.
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Our food supply was low but holding steady, we just built a 2nd hydro pod. This one would grow potatoes. We built more connecting tunnels anticipating the need for more houses. There was room for more pods but we were short of workers. We were also short of iron and firewood. When searching for more nearby surface iron, an ice cave was discovered that had an iron vein way in the back. There were 2 other ice caves nearby so the one with the iron deposit was marked with a MINE sign. When we needed more iron, we would know where to find it, we had no workers to spare right then.
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We got a few more workers when 5 aliens came out from the Mother Ship. There were 2 older brothers who had been miners on their home planet so they chose to move into the 2 ice caves by the mine. One brother had a young wife and a four-year-old daughter. The wife's young adult brother moved in with them. They said the supply boat was on its way.
Chapter 8
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Ally came from the Mother Ship to the trading pod shortly after the workers arrived. He had a few general goods we were not in need of at the time. He had a list of all the items that were on the Mother Ship that were stored there back at the Crash Site. The cactus fruit and boar meat were almost gone. There were plenty of beans, potatoes, corn, and fish. More had been added from the Mother Ship's hydro pods, and fishing pods. There were some roots, leather, coats, and tools but not many. There was also firewood and some building materials from dismantling the Crash Site. Mother Ship was in need of crystal glass energy cells to keep the ship and its computers and scanners running. Those still aboard ship could use fruit and herbs.
We ordered leather and would have berries, herbs, and glass waiting to send back to the Mother Ship. We would have coats and tools as soon as we began production. We immediately built a tool implementer by the complex's stockpile. Once we got a worker, production would be slow because we were low on logs and iron. We would make iron tools until our steel was not needed as much for building. More houses were being built so more workers could move off the Mother Ship. A clothes fabricator was built at the west end of the complex along with a hunting pod. There were elk spotted in the area and we needed leather. We needed our tailor and smith.
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The workers that were out looking for surface iron discovered a frozen fishing pond beneath the snow just north of the complex where we planned to build new houses. By the time they were built and occupied we would probably need more fish. Those workers also discovered the creature that Mission Control told us of. It was very large and seemed to be made of ice or crystal. It was not aggressive and actually seemed to be showing them where the iron was. They decided to wait until later to collect it.
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Chapter 9
The 3 new houses were soon finished back there by the newly discovered fishing pond. A couple with a 3-year-old daughter, and 2 single males soon came off the Mother Ship and occupied the houses. A fisherman went to work at that frozen fishing pond and the complex now had a smith and tailor and a nearby hunter. Workers again went in search of more iron.
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The covered passages were extended out past the hydro pods. Two more pods were added so cabbages and more potatoes could be grown when more food was need. More houses would be built along that passage, there were still more families wanting to move out of the Mother Ship and into the complex. Some would stay behind to keep the Mother Ship operational.
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Everyone really appreciated the newly built domed storage unit. It was conveniently located for both those living inside and outside the complex, and it was not far from the trading pod. The dome was climate controlled so food would store just as well there as it did in the ice cave storage unit. We would soon have new items to store.
Chapter 10
The first two new items to go into our new storage unit were apples and gingerbread men cookies. We got a surprise visit from 6 of Santa's Elves and their 2 children. I told Saint Nick that the residents here knew nothing about Christmas and that I was from the south and knew little about Christmas in the North. He said he knew and he would see what he could do about that. He told Santa and Santa sent Elves to help. They brought 3 sleighs packed full of Christmas treats and trimmings.
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The Elves would be staying with us for a while and were happy to move into the nearby ice caves. They fenced in a small area for the reindeer and began unloading one of the sleighs. Ally loaded the apples and cookies that they brought onto the supply boat and delivered them to the trading pod. He took some glass energy crystals back with him. The ice blocks had the river completely closed now but there was still room for Ally to turn his boat around. Laborers were actually using the ice blockage as a bridge when they went in search of iron and branches. As they crossed the land on the other side of the river, they thought at first that it was the ice blocks they heard shifting but soon realized it was ice cracking beneath their feet. Word soon spread that everyone was to stay clear of that area until it was determined to be safe.
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The apples and cookies were taken to the storage dome and from there home to our pantries. The children were delighted to have more of the treats that St. Nick had filled their stockings with a short time before.
Chapter 11
Shortly after the Elves arrived, 3 more families moved out of the Mother Ship. A couple with a young child and a newborn moved into the small house that was built next to the crystal works. We were hoping for a 2nd forester, we needed more logs for firewood and tools. The 2nd couple with 2 adult children moved into the empty ice cave near the mine. We needed 2 miners to mine for iron now, there was very little surface iron to be found. The 3rd family had a 3-year-old daughter, they moved into the newly constructed large house in the complex near the school and hydro domes. More houses were planned for that area and connecting tunnels were already being constructed.
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By my calculations there should only be 8 adults with very young children or newborns left to leave the Mother Ship. At least a dozen adults should remain aboard to run the ship's operations and oversee the supplies. We left the Crash Site with 52 adults, 3 student and 10 children, 16 of us with the 10 children were the first to leave the ship. That left 36 adults on the Mother Ship. The 3 groups that have since moved off the Mother Ship totaled 16 adults also, their 5 children were born on the ship since we arrived. We had been here 5 years. There are now 20 adults left on the ship, some with very young children or newborns. We would be happy to have 8 more adult workers leave the Mother Ship, leaving 12 behind to run the ship.
Chapter 12
Ally returned from the Mother Ship with crates of Christmas tree trimmings, wreaths, and lights. Everything was taken to the storage dome and it wasn't long before the small tree inside was trimmed with colored ornaments. A Christmas wreath was hung on the door. Colored lanterns soon lined the main passages of the complex, all the way down to where more new houses would be built. A domed retreat center had just been finished; it housed a tree grown from seedlings preserved from the alien's homeland. Two trimmed Christmas trees were placed inside the retreat center and 2 outside. A wreath was hung on the door. There were enough wreaths for anyone who wanted one for their door. The complex was really starting to look festive, there were more lights and tree trimming to put up.
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Chapter 13
A small tree was trimmed by the fishing pond and another over by the mine and the ice caves. A larger tree was trimmed over by the skating pond. Those living outside the complex were welcome to hang a wreath on their doors too.
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Having a few more workers now, the laborers were able to clear the area across the river. They discovered another frozen pond. It was a bit larger than the other two. Upon inspection, a few hairline crackers were discovered, but the ice proved to be quite solid. It would be safe to walk across or skate upon.
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Chapter 14
As calculated, there were 8 more adults with 2 young children to move from the Mother Ship to the complex. Three houses were built back by the retreat center for the 3 families. There was 1 couple with 2 adult children, 1 couple with 2 young children, and 1 older couple whose son was one of the 12 workers who would remain on the ship. There was room there by the retreat center to build 2 or 3 more houses and another hydro pod if needed. We had one worker in all the pods now growing corn, potatoes, beans, and cabbage. We could add more workers to the existing pods or build another. We would hold off building more houses until needed by newlyweds, there were already several houses occupied by young single.
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The workers remaining on the Mother Ship were quite busy now managing all the newly arrived supplies. After all the tree trimmings, wreaths, and lights were taken to the trading pod, they loaded Ally's boat with flour, sugar, and spices to bring out to us. We would be able to bake our own gingerbread men cookies. A small Christmas baker was built next to the domed storage unit where the supplies were taken. The delicious smell of those fresh baked cookies had adults and children waiting outside for the next batch to come out of the oven.
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Chapter 15
The new skating pond was also drawing a crowd. Another shed was built to provide the ice skates in an assortment of sizes for both children and adults. The smith made skates while he waited for wood to make tools. Laborers gathered branches for firewood to keep a large bonfire burning by the new skating pond not only to light up the area but to also provide a spot to sit and warm up on those cold winter evenings.
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The Elves had another seasonal treat in store for us, roasted chestnuts. A nut stand was built by the new skating pond. The warm snack was welcome after the long walk in the cold to get to the pond. The warm snack roaster was built by the pond in the production area. Those that worked out in the cold in that area could also have a warm snack of roasted nuts anytime they pleased.
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Ally soon arrived from the Mother Ship with the chestnuts to be roasted. He brought spices we needed for cookie baking and much needed leather. Our clothing supply was very low. The elk herds were small and we could not risk overhunting them. The workers that remained on the Mother Ship needed meat. Ally took all the rabbit meat and venison that we had stocked at the trading dock. The ship could use more tools.
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Chapter 16
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The Elves said they could help provide us with hide coats, iron tools, firewood, and even some candy and ale. They promptly build a Santa's Workshop by their ice caves near the Mother Ship. The sign on the workshop prompted a string of questions about Santa from both adults and children. All I knew and told them about Santa was that once a year Santa came and left gifts. Well, the Elves soon filled us in on Mr. and Mrs. Claus and the North Pole, and the sleigh with 8 tiny reindeer. Santa had a list that he checked twice of all the boys and girls and whether they were naughty or nice. Of course, this had all the children worried and in need of reassurance that they had indeed been nice and would get a toy for Christmas.
But in the meantime, there were more welcome surprises. Ally soon returned to the trading pod with more flour for baking the cookies the children liked and he had a special treat of mulled wine for us grownups. We wished we had taken the grapes that Ally brought the last time he was here, but we thought the families on the Mother Ship were in need of fruit.
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We did not hesitate to take the wool and woolies Ally brought this time. Being from the south I did not know what woolies were but was impressed by the assortment of wool hats, scarves, and mittens for wearing outside in the cold. There were sweaters and warm woolen underclothes too. The outside workers and ice skaters were sure to like these woolies. The Elves instructed us on how to build a woolen mill on the river where, despite the blockage, the currant was still strong enough to turn the mill wheel. They gave us instructions and patterns on how to make all the woolen items. It wasn't long before there were clotheslines of woolies to be seen in backyards around the complex.
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Chapter 17
The laborers were especially appreciative of the new woolies. They had to make numerous trips to the forests in all directions to collect branches for firewood. The Christmas baker, nut roaster, and bonfire were all taking a toll on our firewood supply, and none of us wanted cold suppers. The forester in the production area was now harvesting trees but the woodcutter struggled to keep the firewood supply ahead of the demand. An herb therapist was now working in that forest, our overall health was a bit low. A 2nd forester was built out beyond the retreat center on the side near the lake, and another herb therapist went to work near the fishing pond. Once tree harvesting began, there would be more logs on the stockpile closest to the blacksmith. We debated if that would be a good place for a 2nd woodcutter instead of a location closer to the bonfire.
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We were concerned for our overall health. None of the Mother Ships health scanners had yet been used but we figured it was likely our diet. We thought the vendor in the storage dome was leaving the outside areas without enough food variety. We discharge the vendor temporarily and had the labors gather wild foods in all directions to fill the other storage units. Another frozen fishing pond was discovered just past the Elves' ice caves. The fish and wild foods in that area plus the 2 herb therapist helped to raise the overall health somewhat. Time would tell if it was enough.
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Chapter 18
If the herbs and wild foods didn't help the overall health of our adult residents, maybe a nice medicinal mug of mulled wine at the newly built Yule Tap would. Ally returned and again brought grapes, this time we took them. The tavern was built in a location for easy access from both the production area and the complex. Elves and Mother Ship workers were welcome there and everywhere.
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The workers on Mother Ship were still sorting and organizing supplies as well as their regular ship-running duties, but now they had another job too. According to instruction from the Elves, they were mixing powered milk and cocoa powder to make a hot drink that would be especially liked by the children. The Elves called it hot chocolate and another stand was built by the big skating pond to serve it to anyone who wanted a cup. It was delicious and very popular with the skaters.
The ship workers also found more boxes of tree trimmings and Christmas lights. The colored lanterns were lit by chips of the glass crystal power cells. Our homes were lit the same way. Power cells were used to heat the ice caves, survival pods, and complex houses, and to operate our command center. Firewood was used for cooking.
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Chapter 19
It was our 9th year here at Crater Lakes and KD made an important decision that affected us all. According to Mission Control, the home planet was no longer habitable, we could expect no more help from them. It made no sense to KD to go off into space looking for a place with resources to settle when they found such a place right here on earth. They were settled here now and acclimated. He sent out a message to all residents to respond if they had reasonable thoughts to the contrary. There were no responses. I was thrilled. I and our 4 children, ages 12, 8, 5, and 3, would not have to leave the planet on which we were born and roam the universe for who knows how many years. The Mother Ship would be well stocked at all times with food, supplies, energy crystals, and power cells if for any reason we had to make a hasty departure. The chance of being detected here high in the mountains was very slim.
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With that decision made, the Elves also made the decision to stay here with us. They got Santa's permission to establish a pickup stop for Santa to reload his sleigh with toys on Christmas Eve. The Elves immediately built a toy workshop a short distance from their Santa's workshop near the Mother Ship's stockpile. They would need logs for the toy making. Children were warned that if they ventured near the workshop they would be put on the naughty list. They stayed away.
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A 3rd forester was built, this one not far from the Elves fishing pond and workshops. The location for a 2nd woodcutter was decided. It would be by that same stockpile, close enough to the bonfire but far enough away that the chopping noise did not disturb the skaters on the frozen pond.
Chapter 20
Yes, weary traveler, we had settled well in this mountain crater. The Mother Ship would continue to send out supplies for many years to come. We had a large comfortable complex built north of the ship. It had a large storage dome, a clothes fabricator, a tool implementer, a command center, learning pods, and a retreat center. There were 4 hydro pods growing vegetables with room for more. Outside the complex there were ice caves and a mine, a forester, hunter, fishing pond, and herb therapist.
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The production area east of the Mother Ship made building the complex possible. A crystal works made the glass and a coal extractor made the steel used for building. The workers lived in ice caves and survivor pods and gathered foods and firewood branches from hedgerows. They fished from the frozen pond. Warm winter woolies that the ice skaters wore were made in the woolen mill by the river. Another forester, herb therapist, and hunter were farther to the east.
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Another frozen skating pond was south of the Mother Ship in the area that Santa's Elves now called home. They lived in ice caves, cared for the reindeer, and worked in Santa's Workshop and Toy Shop. They too had a fishing pond and forester. There were 12 adults with their children living on the Mother Ship. The 3 areas outside the Ship had 26 homes, 89 citizens, and 1 harmless ice monster.
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Chapter 21
We had a lot to thank Santa and the Elves for. They brought us the Christmas lights and tree trimmings, and the ingredients to make gingerbread men cookies, roasted chestnuts, and mulled wine. They made hot cocoa for all of us. They provided the wool and taught us how to make warm winter woolies. And now they were busy making toys for all the children of the world, ours included, because that's what Santa's Elves do.
We had another visit from Elves that year. Two of them brought one of Santa's red sleighs for our Elves to fill with toys. On Christmas Eve Santa can drop off the empty sleigh and pick up the full one. The two Elves also brought a message and a special gift from Santa for us. The two Elves flew back to the North Pole on the reindeer that brought the sleigh.
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Santa's message was that he wanted us and the children to know that he and the gifts are not what Christmas is all about. Christmas celebrates the birth of the Christ Child who was the gift from above to us from God, his father. The Child was a King and wise men followed a bright star in the east to find the baby Jesus and bring Him gifts. That is why Santa gives gift to the children at Christmas, to honor the Christ Child and the wise men. The special gift was a Holy Book that Santa sent us. There were not many of these special books in existence yet, there were holy men called monks who were busy making copies. The book would tell us the whole story of the Child's birth in Bethlehem so long ago.
Yes, weary traveler, like the North Star legend you were told about, this Child's father was very proud of Him too and made Him the Light of the World for all to see and follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTKgDx6HArY&list=RDqTKgDx6HArY&start_radio=1
Chapter 22
That night there was a breathtaking display of the Northern Lights and the north star seemed to shine especially bright.
KD said he and his people knew about this God who made heaven and earth and the sun to light the day and the moon to light the night, the God who made all the stars and planets and universes. They did not know their God had a son. He said we would build a special house for The Holy Book. The best place would be where the most people gathered, by the big skating pond.
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The chapel was built of wood because Baby Jesus was born in a stable of wood. A wood carving depicting the nativity scene was placed beside the chapel. The sky the night the chapel was completed was again clear and the stars again shown brightly.
Chapter 23
The decision to stay here had the older children wondering and asking why we left the Crash Site to begin with. Why do we not want earth people to find us? Would they be mean to us because we were different? And what about The Light of the World, would He love them too, they did not come from this world. Our oldest daughter, Arthenia, was concerned too, she and her brother and sisters were neither alien nor earthling. Another child called her a half-breed. She just turned 15 and married 19-year-old alien Attie and moved into one of the production area ice caves with him. They were expecting their first child.
We could only tell the children the truth that some people would not understand or believe what we would tell them. Some would be mean. Maybe someday it would be different and they would be accepted for who they are, not what they looked like or what world they came from. We reassured the children that God and Jesus loved them because the whole universe is God's world and Christmas is for everyone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU-CODP6sc8
Chapter 24
And then it was Christmas Eve and all the children were excited. They asked the same questions about Santa over and over. They could not sit still. It would not be easy to get them to sleep that night. There was only one thing to do. I, like many others, bundled the children up in their winter woolies and headed for the nearest frozen pond. Hot cocoa, fresh air, and exercise would help them sleep.
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It was a beautiful evening. The wind had died down to a whisper and big fluffy snowflakes were gently falling. The colored Christmas lights glowed softly, and the muffled sound of children's laughter carried on the snow-filled air. One by one the littles ones were carried home and tucked up in their beds looking like little angles as they slept dreaming of Christmas morning yet to come.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Cbt_I4w94
Good night, weary traveler, sleep well and Have a Merry Christmas.
The End
Very nice Christmas story. Thank you.
:) :) :) Thank you!
:) Thanks for Frozen Ponds :)
Have a Merry Christmas,
@Kristahfer :) Glad you liked the story.
Merry Christmas to all
Another lovely story.
Its nearly 9am on Christmas day, and the only sound I can hear are the children next door.
It will be warm today 34c is the forecast.
Merry Christmas Abandoned, and to all
Merry Christmas
@Glenn :) Glad you enjoyed the story. It is early Christmas morning here, the sun has not come up yet. The snow has ended, the wind has finally died down, and it is up to zero degrees Fahrenheit ??? We have a white Christmas.
Merry Christmas to all also
Link to Kid Frozen Ponds download can be found here: http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=4240.0
Like to Kid Out of This World update can be found here: http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=4240.0
@Abandoned ;D ;D ;D Thank you for a beautiful and inspiring story. Regards