Greetings from Twikki Island

March, 604
Simdale Valley
The Ono Family
Narrated by Yuki Ono.  Yuki is 9 years old.  



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At school yesterday, we learned the old saying that when March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb. I think my mom would say the weather has been "a bear" this March.  It's been snowy, and rainy, and cold, and she doesn't like the melty snow which means that people (dad!) tracks more mud into the house on his shoes.  

At least in March, there is soccer to watch, even if mom won't always let me be outside to play it.   The night before our big grade 3 achievement  test at school, I watched West Brom vs. Manchester United.  But then Mom made me go to bed because she said I needed a good night's sleep for the test.  Really, the test was just an extra excuse for mom.  She always makes me go to bed early anyway.

I wasn't too worried 'cause I've had an A- since October.  But Madeleine Bright has straight A's, and she was freaking out.  If you don't pass the test, you don't go to 4th Grade, no matter how good your grades are.  But mom says I will be able to pass because I am a strong reader.

At PE after the test, Principal Newman let us play soccer or play on the equipment.  Marsha played soccer with me while Madeleine and Isaiah played on the merry-go-round.  

Soccer definitely lets me get out a lot of frustration.  If I get worried about a test, or if my mom is mad at me, I just play soccer and I feel better.

Madeleine is always stressed out...I think if she took up a sport she'd be happier, but whenever we have free time, she picks the computer and plays reading games.

My favorite part of school, after PE, is science.  This semester we are doing gardening during science, so we can learn about how seeds grow.  Being in the greenhouse is a lot more fun than the classroom, and I'm going to have the best tomatoes!

Our Principal is so mean.  She's always grumpy and mad at either a student, or our Art Teacher, Ms. Petite-Brown.  Like the other day, she was 'zasperated with Ms. Petite-Brown for letting kids draw with chalk on the playground sidewalk during recess.

Ms. Newman is what Seiki, my brother, would call a control freak.  He calls mom a control freak, too, but mom is way nicer than Ms. Newman.

Ms. Newman gave us double homework that day.  I was tired of doing single  homework.

I never get to play anymore now that I'm in third grade.  It is so unfair!

That day when my dad got home, I ran to meet him.  He understands that kids need time to play.

At dinner mom said she had news for me. Usually mom's news at dinner is that somebody is having a baby or somebody got a snake bite while climbing Mt. Garrison, or something like that.  (She can't ever say their names but sometimes I can figure it out anyway.)  But this night, mom did have good news ... she said we were going to Twikki Island for vacation!   

I was so excited!  Mom shows she's excited by cleaning the whole house like crazy. 

Friday morning I told Marsha, my best friend at school, "Mom and Dad are checking me out early to go to Twikki Island!  And first we are going to stop in Port Prominence and see Seiki!"  Marsha showed me her favorite swim stroke, the turtle, she called it.  Marsha's never been to Twikki Island.  Mom showed me pictures from when I was 4, we went then, but I don't remember it.

Isaiah Gavigan asked Ms. Newman if he could have another day to do his double homework.  His dad had to work and his mom didn't have time to help him with it.   Isaiah is so nice, he probably thought Ms. Newman would give him another day.  But I could have told him she wouldn't.  She said, "What happens if you don't do your homework, Isaiah?"  When he couldn't answer, she told him he would figure it out by recess time.  She meant that he won't get to play because he'll have to do his homework.  Meanie.  

By recess time I was on the ferry to Port Prominence!  The ferry is really fun even though I've been on it a lot.  Mom said we were going to leave the car with Seiki after he dropped us at the airport.  We were going to eat dinner with Seiki, spend the night in a hotel, and then get up early and go to the airport, because our flight to Twikki leaves before the first ferry!  

We went to a restaurant near the pier in Port Prominence to meet Seiki.  

Seiki said he decided to do art at school, and mom and dad seemed really worried.

Mom especially was worried.  She kept asking what kind of career Seiki is going to get with an art degree.  Dad and Seiki talked and joked a lot, and Dad said he admires Seiki for following his heart, but the look on his face was still a lot like mom's.  I was thinking a lot more about the plane, than about what they were talking about.  I don't remember being on a plane before and I can't wait to see the peninsula from the air, like a bird.

There was a plane landing right when Seiki dropped us off.  It looked so amazing, it didn't look like it would be able to stop in time, but it did.  

After we took off we had to circle around Port Prominence to get faced southeast, towards Twikki Island.  Dad pointed out Seiki's dorm to me.  He lives practically on the beach!  We can see the whole Port Prominence bay from our backyard, but there's no where to swim down there, just the ferry dock and Capt. Jack's restaurant on the rocks.  Seiki can walk to the beach in like 2 minutes!  Lucky duck.

My family always stays at Baan Panburi when we go to Twikki.  That's what mom told me.  She said it is the best place to stay because it is quiet, and cheap, and has really good food.   

I have my own house at Twikki!  Mom and dad are next door, in the next hut.  My house (mom says they are called bungalows) has a bathroom with its own bathtub, and my own TV!  And its own porch!  

I went to check out mom and dad's hut, and mom was already on the beach, but she wasn't wearing her swimsuit.  I called to her to come in and change so we could go swim together.

I'm really most excited about being able to run down to the beach whenever I want!  Mom said I can only swim when someone is on the beach with me, but I can play at the beach whenever I want!  Except I have to come in from lunch till 3:00 so I don't get sunburned.

Mom came down to the beach and I showed her my cartwheels.

The first day we didn't get to play very long on the beach before it was time for lunch, and mom made me stay in the shade for a while after lunch.

Mom was doing some work, which was boring.  I wanted to swim!!  But dad was napping and mom was working.  Aaargh!!  It's torture to be able to see the ocean and not be able to go swimming!!

After dinner, mom and dad said they were going to have a date, so I had to go back to my room.  So they had more torture in mind for me.  But they didn't know, I didn't mind because I had my own house.

I watched TV for a while, on my bed!  At home I don't have a TV in my bedroom!

Then I called the front desk but they didn't want to talk after I told them I didn't need anything.  But I even have my own phone in my bungalow, how cool is that?  I wanted to call Marsha but mom already told me I'd be in big trouble if I did, because its long distance.  Actually, I tried her number but I got a message that this phone doesn't accept long distance calls, please request a code from the front desk.  Of course, I'm sure you can guess that the front desk wasn't going to help me with that either.

That's ok, I had better things to do.  Mom never lets me jump on the bed at home.

The next morning, right after breakfast, dad went swimming with me.

The water is so clear!  I love the foamy stuff and the waves.  I could stay in the ocean all day but after a while dad said we had to put on more sunblock.

While we were waiting for our sunblock to dry, dad played with me.

I can throw it pretty hard.  A couple times it hit dad pretty hard in the stomach!

After lunch there was a new family at the resort.  They have a son, Gabe, who was almost my age.  

Finally!  Someone who wants to play!  I've been SO bored with mom and dad.

Gabe is a good sport.  I like playing with him, and he's not a crybaby either.

Mom and dad said they were having fun but they looked bored to me.  They mostly sat at the restaurant bar and dad was trying to make mom laugh.

Then he started juggling while the bartender was away for  a minute.  At first mom was mad at him.

But then she laughed.  

I asked the front desk guy for a jar and he sent me to the kitchen, and they gave me a big old pickle jar.  They helped me stab holes in the top, and I caught a beetle.

It was fun sneaking around all the big bushes, hunting.  It was easy to imagine being in a jungle, being an aborigine, and trying to make sure none of the front desk invaders could see me.

Everytime I checked on mom and dad though, they were still sitting there. 

After dinner mom and dad and I all watched the stars on the beach.  We didn't see any shooting stars.

I even got dad to go in the water with me and look at the phosphorescence with a mask on.  Its like being at light speed in Star Wars or Star Trek when you swim through it, streaks of light zooming past your face.

Soon it was time to go to bed, but I didn't want to.  I love being out on the beach in the dark.  Mom said we had to get our rest so we could have our big sight-seeing day tomorrow.  I said I didn't want to go sight seeing and she said she thought I would have liked the pirate ship....  Pirate ship??!  We learned all about pirates in 2nd grade, since Simdale Valley was home to a famous pirate, Captain Jack.  But mom said tomorrow we would get to play on a pirate ship.  

First, though, mom wanted to see the ancient ruins.  It was pretty cool, not as fun as the beach, but it was like a maze made of old stone bricks.

Mom seemed really happy with dad for agreeing to go to the ruins.

Dad and I were both looking forward to the pirate ship, and we got to play on it at least half the afternoon.  There was a rain shower, but it just made it feel more realistic.

We got back to the resort after dark, and mom and dad said we couldn't go to the beach because we needed to leave early in the morning.

Dad called and told the front desk people that we were checking out in the morning.  I asked mom and dad if we could stay another day, but they said we couldn't get our tickets changed.  Mom doesn't like to be gone long from Simdale Valley since she's the town doctor, but I think if you are going to go to Twikki, you ought to stay as long as you want!

After we ate breakfast and we were waiting for the taxi, mom asked what I liked best.    I told her definitely swimming in the ocean, but really I just like being able to run around the resort and play in my swimsuit all day and even into the nighttime.  I can't wait to come back!

Mom should just be glad that I am a reasonably obedient child, because otherwise I'd be laying on the ground having a tantrum instead of walking to the taxi like I was supposed to.  Why would anyone ever want to leave Twikki!  Grown-ups are crazy.

Notes:

• I saw the preschool teacher looking upset and the principal fussing at her, but when I put the cursor over the box to see what interaction they were having, it just said "chat."  Maybe that's what happens when a sim with no nice points chats with a sim with about 8 nice points!
• This was from Yuki's perspective, but it was interesting that her mom and dad kind of fell in love again on this trip.   They are a Fortune-Pleasure pair, and weren't rolling a lot of wants for each other at the beginning.  By the end Daniel was swooning over Sayuri and her main wants through the whole vacation were go on a date.  By the end they were both rolling specific romantic wants for each other.

• They are a funny pair sometimes because Dr. Ono is so serious, and Daniel is not.  I pictured her being ambivalent about spending so many days off work and putting up with his antics.  Then when they got home, this is what they did (he was playing pirate in the tub and she was playing with Yuki in the same bathroom.  The vacation really loosened her up a bit.

• They saw Seiki on the way to the vacation (in actuality afterwards) and Nathan Gavigan, Dr. Ono's nurse was there swooning over Dr. Ono.  I didn't realize he was attracted to her before this.

• Seiki and Daniel constantly rolled wants to joke and admire each other for about 5 sim hours straight!  They are definitely big fans of each other!