Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 104 (Chasing Ghosts)
The time after Winterfest was quiet in Brindleton Bay. Heather's clinic was slower with families still out of town, and she spent the extra few hours a day at home with her kids. Tonight, Heather tried to get picky Lavender to eat mashed avocado in her high chair.
Ash tried not to look at the mess she was making as he ate his own dinner, explaining in detail why it was better to get food in her tummy than on the floor. She gazed at him with keen interest as usual.
"Ass-ee!" She babbled her attempt to say 'Ashy' with giggles, followed by a short hiccup.
Conrad, on the other hand, was working long, frustrating hours, and Heather encouraged him to take Gord to Deadgrass Isle to run off steam and clear his head.
"Bring the ambrosia treats," she reminded him.
"Am I supposed to be chasing ghosts out there, or clearing my head?"
"You know I won't be upset if you bring home a new stray."
He chuckled as he walked out the door, heading down to Fisherman's Wharf with Gord, where they caught the small ferry to Deadgrass Isle. It was late and the museum was almost empty. Once again, Conrad saw no sign of the old man, and he walked back to the snow-covered path outside.
Gord jumped, in a playful mood, and Conrad set aside his frustration to bask in the simple joy Gord could find in a broken stick. "Go on, Gord. Get it!" he said, but this time Gord's paws stayed planted in the snow.
The Bernese looked beyond him with a curious woof. Conrad followed Gord's line of sight, making out a glowing green and translucent figure in the distance. Too small to be a human, Gord took off running, and the ghostly pup raced on all fours toward him.
"Wait! Gord, stop!" Conrad called, racing after him. His shoes crunched snow underfoot, but Gord wouldn't heed his call.
Gord and the ghost dog met one another along the tree lined path, hind quarters at the ready, but neither let out so much as a growl. Catching his breath, Conrad finally caught up to them and the ghost dog glanced at him warily.
"Hey there, fella. It's alright. We won't hurt you." Conrad showed his palms. Gord looked on cautiously, but made no move to attack.
Conrad let the ghost dog sniff him, and when he didn't run away, he reached into his pocket. He had an ambrosia treat and some Buttercups, but he remembered something Felix Psyded had said about ghosts and unfinished business. Not all ghosts want to be revived, Felix had told them, so he decided against the ambrosia treat and tore open the package of Buttercups, instead.
The ghost dog howled excitedly as he devoured the all-natural treats, jumping playfully toward Conrad in gratitude. He barked. Three long howls followed by three ruffs. Long, short, short, long again. Almost like Morse code. "Are you trying to tell me something, pup? I'm sorry, I don't know what you're saying."
The ghost dog whimpered, but Conrad's attention was pulled away when his phone rang. He checked the call display and laughed. "Felix! I was just thinking about you, believe it or not."
"Of course you were. I thought you might have missed me, so I thought I'd call to find out how you were doing and let you know I've made quite the breakthrough with your old man at the museum."
"Life's real busy, Felix. The kids are good, work is pretty unforgiving these days, and Gord and I were just talking to a ghost dog."
"Oh, is that all? How's Heather?"
"She's great. The best. You don't know how to communicate with dog spirits, do you?"
"Afraid not. Strictly human ghosts for me. I never liked how ghostly pets could sneak up on a person."
"What have you got on the old man, then?"
"I think your ghost is the old lighthouse keeper who died before the light went out. I remember reading about the mysterious shipwreck when I was a young officer in the Navy."
"What's his name?"
"That's the most interesting part. His name was Ben Gordon."
Conrad shrugged. He was tired. Even Gord and the ghost dog were ready to nap at his feet. "Weird coincidence."
"I don't think it is. I still prefer researching from books, but I pulled up one of those helpful new websites with all those family trees and digital census records. Then I verified my findings with Brindleton Bay's local librarian, Gunther Lynx-Munch. I think Ben Gordon was your great-great-great-great grandfather's brother! A lonely type - old newspaper articles I found on library computers said he lived with his dog and otherwise alone. Never socialized with locals who came ashore to his island to view the old lighthouse. Maybe the reason you can see him and no one else knows what you're talking about is because his message is only for you, a living relative."
"If that's true, why hasn't he shown up to give me his message in years since I first met him? Maybe he's...passed on already."
"Maybe. Or maybe he can see that you're busy."
He thought back to the night they met. He'd made it clear he was distracted back then, and it's not like he hadn't been distracted since. "Can he see that I'm starting to get a little bit desperate? I really need a case I can solve right about now."
"If whatever he has to say is important enough he's waited over one hundred fifty years to say it, he can wait as long as he needs until he thinks you're ready. Try sending some signals. He might pick up on something."
"Like what?"
"Try talking to him."
Conrad scoffed. He'd always found it impossible to talk to the dead. A ghost standing in front of him could at least talk back, but he could never really say much to his parents' gravestones. Knowing he'd never hear a response made it too hard to try.
Felix sighed. "Or, stay desperate. Up to you."
Conrad stifled a groan, shaking his head at the smug former spectre on the other end of the line. "Thanks for looking into this, Felix. If he ever decides to show himself again, I'll let you know how it goes. How about you? How's living in Britechester these days?"
"Oh, it's exactly as I remember it. The fashion has changed, but the buildings in town look quite the same as they did when I founded the old university. I've scheduled my bar exam for early in the new year. I'm studying every day and watching a lot of Court TV, to tell you the truth. I've seen plenty of contemporary attorneys in action and I know exactly the kind of lawyer I'd like to be."
"Oh yeah, like who?" Conrad wasn't really all that interested in a bunch of lawyers, but Felix loved to talk and he was grateful for a momentary distraction.
"I have so many models to look up to, it's quite a wonderful thing! I've followed the work of prosecutor Aaron York. He's on track to be a fine judge someday and I would consider myself star-struck to ever present in his court, but he worked a recent case defending a young woman from an assault charge. He's a family man and a man of law, right after my own heart. And of course I'm as glued to the Alegria v. Caruso trial as anyone else, even though it's currently in recess! That Antonio Romero, Esquire is simply fantastic! His presence in a courtroom is so powerful. He's like a modern-day Felix Psyded."
"Don't you mean Felix Psyded, Esquire?"
Felix laughed. "I knew I'd get you to say it sooner than later, Sargent."
Conrad rolled his eyes. "Sounds like you're putting in the work, Felix. How are you making money since you won't let Heather and I pay you?"
"Until I take the bar exam I've found steady work as a process server here in town. I have so much to learn from everyone in the building, but one junior lawyer in particular is really something! Unfortunately I embarrassed myself when I overheard her talking about going out to dinner with an Orange. I thought she meant the fruit, but apparently Orange is a name for living sims these days! I'm afraid she thinks I'm a fool. But she's a real spitfire, and she's working the Dulce Alegria trial, too. Antoinette Wolff is her name!"
Conrad perked up at the mention of her. "I think I know her. Or her brother, anyway. Solomon Wolff and I used to be partners back in San Myshuno."
"In that case, maybe you could put in a good word, so she knows I'm not an imbecile. But I should go; I have many more cases to read about before the exam. Let me know when you've seen the old man again, and don't be a stranger."
He hung up with Felix and smiled. Did he actually feel lighter after talking to Felix Psyded? It seemed unbelievable. He glanced back toward the glowing green dog, who had waited patiently with Gord while Conrad took Felix' call.
A thought struck him. The ghost could have been any dog from the pet cemetery beyond the trees, but his bark sounded vaguely familiar, like the dog he swore he heard inside the lighthouse with Heather. "Did you know a man named Ben Gordon, old buddy?"
The dog barked excitedly, feverishly wagging his tail. "Do you know where he is?"
The ghost dog howled, but Conrad couldn't understand. He checked his watch. It was getting late, and he knew he should get back to the mainland. "We've got to head home, but Gord and I will be back. Maybe by then I'll have a better idea what you want."
With a nuzzle against Conrad's hand, the ghost dog seemed to acknowledge his promise. He returned home, greeting Heather in the living room.
"Did you bring home a new stray?" she asked, but her face fell in mock sadness when she saw he'd only brought home one very smelly dog.
"Not tonight. But apparently the old lighthouse keeper was a distant relative of mine, and Felix Psyded said when he thinks I'm ready, he'll find me again to give me his message."
"Maybe he'll think you're ready after you give Gord a bath and have a shower," she teased.
Conrad took care of their needs while Heather finished helping Ash with his homework, and he tried not to think too much about Felix' advice to talk to the dead. ->
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NOTE: Did I get through the ghost dog arc before the Life & Death pack updated and made this dog a living stray? No. Have I figured out how to turn the dog back into a ghost so I can just give him the ambrosia treats when I have it plotted? Also no. There was no option to simply flip the dog to an occult ghost in CAS like there is for human sims, I looked! The reason I waited is because in the rabbit hole adventures involving the dog, they made several trips to build up their friendship. In addition to everything else they've got going on that makes adopting another dog right now just too much, I was trying to mirror the adventure with storyline.
Any advice for re-ghosting the dog is welcome. I have one idea that involves forcing the dog to unalive with MCCC in a second save to get ghostly shots again, and adopting the living dog Conrad and Gord are now friendly with in the main save when it's time, but not jumping between saves could be better if it's possible! Just a peek behind the magic curtain of 'filming' Sims In Bloom lolol.
