One morning, the Soapberrys woke up to find their house had undergone a few... changes.
"What happened?" Melarkey asks worriedly, staring down at the small, empty bowl of water that sat where their fish tank used to be.
"I've heard of this happening in other towns." Dennis stands beside her. "My sister told me it's called a 'CC Purge'."
"CC Purge?" Melarkey echoes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Dennis shrugs. "No clue. Sometimes sims and objects change overnight, and nobody knows why."
"I'm going to go check on Bennet," Melarkey says, biting her lip.
"I've heard of this happening in other towns." Dennis stands beside her. "My sister told me it's called a 'CC Purge'."
"CC Purge?" Melarkey echoes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Dennis shrugs. "No clue. Sometimes sims and objects change overnight, and nobody knows why."
"I'm going to go check on Bennet," Melarkey says, biting her lip.
But, aside from an inexplicable hairstyle and skin change, Bennet seems fine.
The same thing happened to the rest of the family.
"My bandanna's different," Melarkey pouts.
"My bandanna's different," Melarkey pouts.
It's impossible to tell how Cadydid feels about the whole situation. Maybe she didn't even notice her hair had changed.
Tiberius tries not to freak out over his gorgeous locks becoming all of the sudden... ordinary.
At least Fantasia is unchanged.
There's also a new carpet in the living room!
"I bought that," Dennis clarifies.
"I bought that," Dennis clarifies.
As always when something strange and otherwise inexplicable happens, the family adjusts.
Kitchen floor reading; a staple of childhood.
Melarkey's adult birthday arrives.
Fantasia also ages up!
Tiberius puts on his outwear to go to the bathroom.
Then proceeds to stand at the gate of his daughter's garden for an hour.
Cadydid is also out, enjoying the chill and solitude of the night by raking leaves. It's a strange hobby, but Cadydid has never been one for normalcy.
Just as he goes back inside for bed, Tiberius feels an odd tingling sensation.
Grim arrives.
"Yo."
"Yo."
Both Cadydid and Melarkey hear the crash of thunder that announces the Reaper's arrival, and rush to the source. Neither are pleased with the scene they find.
Cadydid is especially distraught.
Tiberius begs for a little more time. His granddaughter is barely old enough to remember him. But Grim doesn't care what a dead guy wants.
"Dad!" Melarkey reaches out towards her father. "Please, don't do this."
Grim doesn't care what the living want, either.
"Dad!" Melarkey reaches out towards her father. "Please, don't do this."
Grim doesn't care what the living want, either.
This is where Dennis is for the entire ordeal.
And so, the Reaper disappears along with Tiberius' ghost, leaving behind only a beautifully bittersweet urn of ashes, which are placed beside the family photo.
The family mourns for days.
Cadydid is inconsolable. It seems something has finally happened that got her emotions in order.
Melarkey takes Bennet on a walk to clear her head.
And when he daughter's questions about where her grandfather went become too unbearable, she retreats to her frostbitten garden.
Also needing to get out of the house, Cadydid makes a sunset trip to the graveyard. The rain is pouring, but she doesn't bother with an umbrella.
At least her husband doesn't have to rest in a cold, muddy grave.
At least her husband doesn't have to rest in a cold, muddy grave.
For a while, Fantasia can't seem to figure out why everyone's so down in the dumps, so she does her best to entertain.
Hang on... where'd Tiberius go?
Oh.
The rain doesn't stop. Cadydid chooses to spend more time fishing than at home.
One night, Tiberius pays a visit to check on his granddaughter.
He also decides he needs to work out. Gotta get those ghost abs.
The sound of the TV wakes Melarkey. After a split second of shock, she grabs her father's hand to make sure he's real. Despite being nothing but a spirit, Tiberius squeezes back.
"You're doing well," he smiles.
"Mom isn't," says Melarkey. "She misses you."
There's a small pause, and Melarkey wonders briefly how well reception in the afterlife is. "Should I tell her I saw you?" she asks.
"Probably not," says Tiberius. "She'll be alright. She's learned how to cry, after all."
"You're doing well," he smiles.
"Mom isn't," says Melarkey. "She misses you."
There's a small pause, and Melarkey wonders briefly how well reception in the afterlife is. "Should I tell her I saw you?" she asks.
"Probably not," says Tiberius. "She'll be alright. She's learned how to cry, after all."
So, Melarkey doesn't breathe a word of her encounter. The next day, it stops raining, and sure enough, Cadydid shows signs of recovery.
//
Post Send: I'm very disappointed that Tiberius and Cadydid are going to become ghosts without their original hairstyles. After playing them all this time looking one way, it's weird that they're going to be immortalized looking different. The worst part is that purging my CC didn't even fix my problem with the game crashing. Oh well!
Also, thanks for reading!
//
Post Send: I'm very disappointed that Tiberius and Cadydid are going to become ghosts without their original hairstyles. After playing them all this time looking one way, it's weird that they're going to be immortalized looking different. The worst part is that purging my CC didn't even fix my problem with the game crashing. Oh well!
Also, thanks for reading!