Quote:
Originally Posted by Lynnie
I think it would be amazing to see Frankie fire dance. As long as she's very, very careful, of course.
|
I may try to record her doing the fire dance when she gets home; at present I don't want to risk using the game camera, which adds additional stress to the system (not to mention the already frazzled Simmaster).
Quote:
Originally Posted by duck2k
I definitely concur with Lynnie; I look forward to the next episode. The bathing suit was a very nice touch; the other comments I will withold until I see my sailor buddies.
|
For the record, I chose that particular swimsuit because it was the closest match I had to the one she wore in
Squeeze The Day. Accuracy is absolutely critical. Don't expect to see it again, though; I only used it this time because it was a beach story.
Foster's Valley - "A Single Word"
Tired but happy, Frankie hit the shower to get the smell of soot out of her hair and promptly went to bed:
She dreamed of spinning sticks of fire, of white sands and blue waves. She also dreamed of the Valley, subconsciously wondering what was happening there while she was gone. She dreamed of snow falling at Foster's, and of Mr. Herriman complaining about having to shovel it while she lounged on the beach. She smiled at that as she slept.
And then the nightmare came.
It was always the same; she found herself in her old neighborhood, running frantically, desperately searching for something in dark fields and streets choked with fog, hearing a voice calling to her, begging her for help. The same nightmare she'd been having since she was a child. She opened her mouth to scream a name in anguish and loss-
-and woke up gasping for breath. Was she awake? She wasn't sure. It was unusually dark; something didn't feel right. Frankie stumbled out of bed to get a glass of water. As she passed the balcony door she saw something that caught her off guard; she dressed hurriedly and went out to stare at the sky in awe and wonder:
She remembered seeing Saturn once before - the only memory she had from the time between leaving the Pacific Northwest and arriving in the Valley - and how it had scared the living hell out of her. It was different this time though; it seemed almost warm in an odd way. Frankie stared at the ringed planet awhile longer and finally made up her mind. "I'm still dreaming," she muttered to herself. She went back to bed and slept soundly for the rest of the night. She was never certain if it had been a dream or not.
The next morning she awoke refreshed and full of energy, ready to have some fun. After a quick breakfast in the hotel restaurant she tracked down a tour guide:
"Looking for adventure?" he smiled as Frankie approached.
"Sure am," she smiled back. "Whatcha got?"
"A little bit of everything. Parasailing, glass bottomed boats, helicopter-"
"A helicopter tour? Really?"
"Yep. On a clear day you can see the entire island at once." The guide looked at the sky and laughed. "And it's always clear. Next chopper arrives in ten minutes. Interested?"
Frankie grinned and reached for her wallet. Ten minutes later a helicopter landed in front of the hotel:
And away she went.
Two hours later she was back, with a load of pictures and a story for everyone back home. She didn't have anything in particular planned at that point so she picked a direction at random and headed out again, stopping here and there for photographs:
And souvenirs:
And finally stopping for lunch and a chat with Damion Wade:
The topic was once again the recent "crime wave".
"The Unsavory Charlatan struck again," Damion said. "Walked right up to John Reece, charmed the socks off him, and made off with his wallet before he knew what hit him."
"Sheesh, can't the police catch this guy?"
"John's the sheriff, so I'd have to say no."
Frankie burst out laughing. "Maybe he should stick to trying to catch that kid who steals bicycles."
Damion laughed, too. "Yeah, I heard about her. No more bicycles, though; now she's digging up people's lawns."
"What?" Frankie was both amused and confused. "Why on Earth would she do that?"
"Treasure, I'd say," said Damion. "The ancient civilization that used to live here left all sorts of stuff behind all over the island. Old maps, pottery, carvings, things like that. Some of it's valuable. Everybody here digs now and then, just to see if they get lucky."
"Huh. I tried; I found a rock." She laughed again, then grew serious. "What's the girl's story? Parents work and leaver her unsupervised?"
"No family, as far as I know. I've never met her. Ah, but this might interest you; I heard she mentioned something about Foster's. She might want to adopt one of your Imaginary Friends."
"Really?" Frankie hadn't expected that. "Wow. Maybe I should talk to her." She smiled. "Seems my work is never done, vacation or not. Who told you that she mentioned Foster's?"
"Tamara Kalson, another tourist. She's staying at your hotel."
"Okay, I'll look her up. And thanks!" It never ends, Frankie thought. She'd take care of the matter later; right now the sun was setting and she wanted a nap:
It was a long nap, close to three hours. When Frankie awoke it was nearly 10:00 PM. "Time to figure this out," she said. She headed back to the hotel and tracked down Tamara Kalson who, as it turned out, was looking for her as well:
"You're Frankie Foster, from that Imaginary Friend place, right?"
"Yes, that's me. Tamara Kalson, right?"
"Uh-huh. Guess we've been looking for each other."
"Yeah. I understand you talked with a girl who wants to adopt an Imaginary Friend?"
"Huh? Where'd you hear that?"
"Damion Wade. You didn't meet her, then?"
Tamara shook her head. "Damion's confused. I did meet her, but she doesn't want to adopt an Imaginary Friend; she
is an Imaginary Friend."
Frankie was stunned; she hadn't expected this at all. "She is? Are you sure?"
"Very sure. And she definitely wanted to go to Foster's."
"Wow. Just... I need to talk to her. Did you get her name?"
"No, sorry."
"Can you describe her?"
"Sure. Child-sized, blondish hair with a lot of purple and blue streaks, blue antenna, slightly pointed ears, and big blue-green eyes. Dressed kind of like you, actually." Tamara's cell phone rang. "Excuse me, I've got to take this." Tamara went back into the hotel; behind her, Frankie stood in a state of shock and disbelief, with her hand on her chest, trying to steady herself as she whispered a single word:
"
Miri..."
(
To be continued...)