Hi. I’m back with a new story. This will be 4 chapters long and as a matter of fact it will be an introduction to the real story which will be written as a Sims3 story and with another name.

First of all, I would like to thank all the artists who made the c.c. in the Sims2, especially CycloneSue for her tremendous castle and the highland crofter as well as a special ‘thank you’ to the artist who created the tears making the sims pain more credible.

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Sean McCormick, the old Scottish doctor in medicines had retired at last.
During his labor cycle he learnt to appreciate modern technology but once he stopped working he didn’t want to continue living in his rather modern house. It would suit his successor because the infrastructure of the house was good enough to do minor operations.

As he spent all his life dedicated to his profession, he never had time or feelings to establish a family of his own. So he was alone and he knew it would be nonsense to live in a big house. No…, he had made his mind up; he moved to the humble house where he was born a long time ago. It was outside the neighborhood and he used to go there in weekends to enjoy the tranquility of nature and his hobby: fishing. Now that he retired, this was the ideal place for him to live.

Yes, it’s true; he missed his job. Especially in the beginning he felt lonely but very soon a friend came to fill the emptiness. Swift was an intelligent dog and very independent. But there was something he liked about the man.
The man understood him and, without wanting to tie him down, he put food for him outside the house and used to bring a nice chewing bone a couple of times. When Sean saw that the dog started to sleep outside the house, he bought him a doghouse and put that on the spot where the dog used to sleep.

Very soon people wouldn’t see one without the other.
The newspaper was brought every day. So the man started to organize his days around the dog, reading the newspaper, doing the crossword and cooking his meals.

A certain day he read something in the newspaper that made him feel horrible. Lord Valdemar Hunter, Master of the Highlands had passed away during a fire that had started in their kitchen. He just couldn’t believe it; Valdemar, his friend! It had only been a few months ago that they last played a match of chess…  and now… this!
The old doctor put his hand on this forehead and thought how tough that would be for the ones, left behind.

Sean had been secretly in love with Lady Jane but he was a man of principals and it always had been clear to him that Lady Jane only had eyes for her husband. That was as well one of the mayor reasons why he never had looked for someone to love.
He made an impulsive move to take the telephone but he drew his hand back when he remembered that the nobles didn’t want technology in their castle. Sean himself was a traditional minded man but, in his opinion, they exaggerated.

You couldn’t find a telephone or computer in their castle. He remembered that their daughter Janey was very upset about that. Their boy, Valdemar Junior, was easier to handle in spite of being twins. Sean made a phone call to order a taxi at 10 o’clock next day to pay them a visit and express his sympathies.
After a good night rest he went for his common morning walk with Swift; he made sure that the dog had enough to eat and drink. At 10 on the dot the taxi arrived to take him to Lord Valdemar’s castle.

When he saw Lady Jane, he noticed that she was ever so beautiful; even when crying. He had seen her often with tears in her eyes. She was a sensitive woman and he was aware that she, most probably, couldn’t carry the weight of this loss.
He suggested that she could hire specialized help during a few months but this idea was rejected by her.

She told him that her daughter Jane, had left the castle after the fire. She always had been ‘her father’s girl’ and, in order not to miss him too much, she went to University. The children, like most of the twins, were inseparable but the boy didn’t want to leave his mother alone after the recent events.

Sean wrote out a prescription for some tranquillizers and he promised her to come back next month.

Swift jumped up with joy when he saw his friend arrive. It was the first time that he hadn’t taken the dog with him. Sean spent almost all of his time playing and teaching the dog.

A month passes very soon and Sean made his mind up to visit Lady Jane again. Then he read in the newspaper that the noble woman had passed away while sleeping. He supposed that she lost her desire to live any longer without her husband.
This was a very bitter pill to swallow. He went immediately to the castle to see if her son was there.

The boy was crying his eyes out and accepted with all his heart the helping hand Sean offered him. Valdemar Junior didn’t know their former doctor very well but he knew that he used to be a good friend of his parents. Sean advised the boy to join his sister in university and he offered to make all the arrangements. There are so many things that have to be organized after decease. He ordered a taxi to take the young man to his sister and he promised to be in regular contact with them. If they would decide to sell the castle, he would lend a helping hand as well.

After a few weeks, the twins paid him a visit and he informed them how things were with the inheritance. He said that they could always count on him and gave them his phone number. He was pleased to hear that they had bought a telephone and a fire alarm. Jane remarked bitterly: “If my parents would have had those things, my father still would be alive” and she added with a tear in her voice: “and most probably, my mother as well”. After that, silence fell in their conversation and the young people stood up to say their good-byes and went back to university.

Sean thought that it hadn’t been a good idea sitting outside for hours at his age. His bones noticed the humidity and the man decided to put the stove on.

He sat down in front of the fire and was lost in thoughts and memories of the past. The man had a big dilemma to deal with. These children were all alone in the world…; at least that was what they thought.

The doctor was the keeper of a secret but he had promised to keep that secret and he was fighting the impulse to reveal the secret to the children.
Months turned into years. Very regularly he contacted the children to show them his interest in their progress. Very soon they would finish their studies and they still hadn’t made a decision on what to do with the castle. It would be the only tangible memory of their family.

To be continued