Day 10 – Invigorated

At 5:30 AM, Zoe and Miles got up to potty train Sunny and Skye. Without a bathtub on the island, they wanted to do whatever they could to keep their baby girls clean. Preventing them from soiling their diapers was a step in the right direction.

Once the girls had done their business, Zoe and Miles cleaned the stinky potties.

Since it was so early, they hoped their daughters would be tired enough to go back to sleep for a while. So, Zoe suggested they try reading to them. It didn’t take long for Miles to notice Sunny had started nodding off, and soon she was fast asleep. While Zoe continued reading to Skye, Miles left to prepare breakfast for everyone.

Meanwhile, Elisa and Cloud had woken up and gotten dressed. Cloud lent Elisa the Gardening book he’d been reading because he knew life on the island could be a bit boring to a teenager. There were only so many things they could do here. At least gardening was a skill she’d be able to put to good use while keeping herself occupied.

At 8:30 AM, Miles, Cloud and Elisa gathered to eat the fruit Miles grilled for breakfast. Fruit is their most plentiful resource on the island, and grilling it caramelizes the natural sugars, making it even more succulent. It was a refreshing change from a diet consisting solely of grilled fish and raw fruits and vegetables.

Zoe joined them once Skye had fallen asleep. As they were eating, each of them suddenly felt full and inexplicably happy. They were no longer hungry or the least bit tired. Zoe and Miles just looked at each other and smiled. It wasn’t the first time something strange had happened on the island, and they’d learned to expect the unexpected.

Feeling invigorated, everyone got busy doing something constructive. Miles was inspired to create a table and chairs so everyone could sit and have a meal together in their own beachside dining room. Elisa continued reading Gardening, Volume 1: Water, Light and Dirt.

Zoe started teaching Skye to talk by showing her flashcards and helping her sound out the words. Sunny was happy to wander around, taking in all the wonders of the island, like its numerous plants.

After a while, Zoe could tell Skye was getting tired of the flashcards. So, she gave Skye a break and switched her attention to Sunny.

Skye climbed up on her bed and tried her best to have a conversation with Cloud. It was a babble-fest, but Cloud smiled and nodded good-naturedly as if he knew exactly what Skye was trying to say.

Once Miles had finished crafting a dining table, he began making chairs to go with it. His goal was to get everything done and set up by dinnertime. He was a man on a mission.

Elisa put her newfound knowledge to the test by swimming over to the main garden and tending the plants.

After his riveting conversation with Skye, Cloud knew she needed more help if she was going to learn to talk anytime soon. He convinced her to play a flashcard guessing game with him. Meanwhile, Zoe kept coaching Sunny.

When Elisa had finished tending the garden, she worked out on the heavy bag, trying to build some upper-body strength.

Not surprisingly, the twins had become frustrated with learning to talk. So, Zoe and Cloud gave them a break. At least the twins could talk with each other and be understood. Skye was visibly excited to share her stories with Sunny. Finally, someone laughed at her jokes!

After a brief workout, Elisa swam over to the secondary planting area to water the plants. Zoe read the Handiness book while Sunny and Skye entertained each other. She smiled, hearing her daughters babbling away and giggling with delight behind her.

By 7:30, Miles had finished making a dining table and six chairs. He set everything up and couldn’t wait until everyone could finally have a meal together without eating off their laps.

While the sink was free, Cloud got cleaned up and washed a few dirty dishes. Before he could finish, the sink sprang a leak. “Hey, Miles! You still out there, man?”

Miles stopped sawing and replied, “Yeah, Cloud. What’s up?”

“The sink’s broken again. Can you take a look at it?”

“Sure thing. On my way,” Miles replied.

Since Miles was the handiest of the bunch, it only made sense that he take care of any minor repairs. Miles quickly fixed the leak and then installed a self-cleaning upgrade.

The grilled fruit they’d had for breakfast was so good that Zoe prepared the same thing for dinner. Meanwhile, Cloud was getting in a workout on the heavy bag, and the twins were wandering nearby, trying to steady their wobbly gait.

Elisa swam back over and joined the group for dinner. Zoe, Elisa and Cloud sat around the new dining table, marveling at Miles’s craftsmanship. Just as Miles walked out of the shelter to join them, the cowplant matured into a bizarre combination of a cow head and a plant body. Miles kept his distance as he quickly moved past it.

The only ones who weren’t able to enjoy the new dining room set were the twins who were too little to sit on the chairs and still be able to reach the table. Instead, they sat on the rock seats. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the luxury of highchairs on the island.

It was pretty late in the evening, and Skye was sad. She was overtired and wanted her Daddy to comfort her. She looked up at Miles and raised her little arms in the air, babbling at him.

Miles got down on his knees and gave Skye a warm hug. “Are you tired, baby girl? Want Daddy to read you a story?” With tired, sad eyes, Skye nodded. Miles carried her to bed and tucked her under the covers.

Zoe picked up Sunny and brought her to bed as well. They each read a story to their daughters, and Sunny was the first to succumb to sleep.

The cowplant had piqued Zoe’s curiosity. She checked it out from a safe distance while Miles was crafting on the workbench. Then Zoe felt a bit braver and began playing with it.

Elisa had gathered the dinner dishes to wash them, and as she walked by, she said, “Are you sure you should be doing that, Zoe? That thing looks dangerous.”

Zoe replied, “Nah, it seems pretty harmless as far as I can tell.”

Miles saw what she was doing and said, “Babe, be careful. That thing has sharp teeth. Don’t get too close to it.”

“I’ll be careful, Miles. Don’t worry.”

Cloud had hit the sack right after dinner, so he was fast asleep in his bed. When Elisa came out of the shelter, she played with the cowplant for a few minutes. Then she announced, “I’m heading to bed. Goodnight, guys.”

Zoe and Miles each replied, “Goodnight.”

Once Elisa was safely out of hearing distance, Zoe leaned over to Miles and said softly, “Hey, Miles. What do you say to a little romp in the bushes for old time’s sake?” His eyes lit up and he gave his girlfriend a searing kiss.

“Mm. That was a yes?”

Miles replied, “Absolutely, babe. You sure you wouldn’t rather use our comfy bed, though?”

As they walked, Zoe said, “Not tonight. I’m feeling adventurous. Besides, we make fireworks together no matter where we are.”

“That’s a fact, babe,” Miles said with a grin on his face.

It wasn’t nearly as comfortable as a bed, but their romp in the bushes held a magic all its own. After all, this is where they’d conceived their precious daughters.

When they exited the bush, Zoe giggled like a schoolgirl, picking leaves out of her hair. “OK, stud. Time for bed. I’m exhausted.”

“Me, too, babe.” Miles took Zoe’s hand and led her to bed, and they tucked themselves in for the night.

---

Author’s Notes:

Sorry for the long delay in between chapters again, dear readers. As you can see from the time stamp below, I had played Day 10 at the end of January. Luckily, I take notes in MS Word so I’m not at a complete loss as to what happened back then. 😉

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At 9 AM on Day 10, I rolled the dice to determine the gods’ will for the day.

(2) The white god shines its light of happiness and fertility on the island. Every Sim is suddenly feeling better and draws more hope out of this miracle. Make all Sims happy from spells list:

• SHIFT click on the mailbox and click “Fill Needs Household”
• SHIFT click on Sim and click “Make Happy”

Because this dice roll occurred in the morning when they were eating breakfast, the effect was minimal, even though it was a positive roll. Still, it was better than another negative roll. I did my best to portray its effect, but this was a tricky one to show.

By end of day, the twins were at level 2 on all skills. Tomorrow will be Day 3 for the toddlers, and they’re due to age up. (As you may recall, this garnered 40% of the vote on my reader poll.) I’ll be trying to get their skills to level 3 across the board before they age up so they can get the Happy Toddler Trait (30% of votes).