MURKLAND - SUNDAY - CHAPTER 8

WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE HERMIT...

The big day had finally arrived! I had some time before my transport arrived, so I thought I would practice my fishing skills. I still hadn't caught my first fish yet!

Luckily for me, Nahenem, the Mutant Raccoon was fishing near my camp and gave me some fishing tips. "Oh I caught something. Yippee!"

"Now Kate, first you have to examine the water...yep, there's fish in there..." Here fishie fishie...

"...you have to think like a fish...what would you eat if you were a fish. Which reminds me, I have a sudden craving for some strawberries..." (Nahenem mumbles to himself...I wonder if fish like strawberries...) "Have fun, Kate!"

Hmmm...that wasn't too helpful. All of a sudden I hear a loud HONK! My transport is here! I have a different driver this time, so I pay my fare and we're off.

And here I am again! Same little camp site...same firepit...not much has changed....I look around...

"Hi, welcome to Granite Falls!" The ranger, Nobuya, has arrived and he is actually friendly towards me. We chat for a bit...and we are instant friends! Hmmm...this is a good sign.

I realize that the last time I was here, I really didn't have a chance to look around. Look at this HUGE statue...it's some type of creature...I've never seen anything like it....

I run across an open space....and...what are those....BEES! Oh, I don't have any of those... I run over and scoop them up.

 Are you in there my baby bumble bees?

I go to the little map area again because I forgot where the trail was and meet Josh. While I am there I look in the camp store and see what is for sale. But things are just too expensive and I don't have enough simoleons. So, Josh and I decide to go on a hike together to explore the campground.

We look at the really nice chalet cabins as we hike along. Nothing like this exists in Murkland anymore. Only remnants of houses, with part walls, overgrown with moss and shrubs...


...nothing as beautiful as this. It would be so much fun to rent one of these with friends...maybe one day. I wonder how much they cost for one night. Josh says goodbye and heads down another trail.

I stop and chat with some sims who are fishing and ask for fishing tips. I think they were new to fishing because they aren't too sure either.

"uhhh...yeah, onions work...and sage...uhhh...I'm really not sure...we are kind of trying everything."

Oh well...I continue on my hike...

Ooohhh...dragonflies...I want them! I have no idea what I need for this...this...what am I making again?

(rummages in pocket for contract and scans quickly)

Oh right...deodorizing cream...hey wait what's this? 

(opens another note that was stuffed in her pocket...)

It's a note from Nahenem!

I asked you for fishing tips...that is ALL I was interested in. I don't think so.

AWKWARD!

I shake it off and see some beetles that I want to collect.

Before I know it, it's dark again. It sure gets dark fast in the forest.

I quickly use the outhouse and decide to make some grilled fruit for dinner. Yum!

After a quick bite to eat, I see a blazing campfire ahead and decide to go over and see if I know any sims. 

Oh, it's some sims from the yard sale.They all work for the Murkland Mercantile Company and are attending a weekend environmental conference. Oh and of course, my bear guide from last time.

Karim (he's the one who bought my last statue at the yard sale) ..is telling a campfire story. We all say hi and he challenges me to tell a bigger tale...

I launch into a great ghost story and have everyone listening intently...

I think that maybe Geoffrey Landgraab is going to be a TEENSY bit nervous walking back to his cabin tonight! Mwahahaha! We all have a good laugh and say our goodbyes.

I really have to get to the Granite Falls forest tonight so I can meet the Hermit. As I am running to the trail, I think I hear Karim call my name, but it must just be the wind in the trees.

I get to the Granite Falls Forest and decide to try my luck at some fishing.

As I cast my line into the water, Ranger Nobuya comes up behind me. He gives me QUITE the scare!

"Kate, sorry to have startled you, I was just checking on the Ranger cabin and saw someone here. What are you doing out here all alone?"

I tell him that I am on my way to meet the Hermit and decided to fish. And I further tell him that I have never caught a fish yet. Shucks!

"Well, maybe you haven't had the right teacher. Do you mind if I join you?"

Nobuya then tells me everything he knows about fishing... how to examine the water and what type of bait to use to catch certain fish. He even tells me how to cook bonefish (the only edible fish in Murkland) Yes!

And then IT happens...

I catch my FIRST fish! NOT! Oh, we have a good laugh about that one....

No, this is the real one!  My FIRST fish! What do you think?

After that...they just keep reeling in...oh, look at this one!

And another one...I feel like a fishing pro. I could fish here all night, but Nobuya tells me that I am almost at my "catch" limit for the day. He tells me that there are some unique fish in the lakes near the Hermit's cottage, and that I should wait and try there.

We decide that we should do some stargazing instead.

Wow! Look at that moon! It certainly is beautiful here.

As I am getting up to leave, I see something fluttering near the water....

Oh My gosh! What is it? Look at those eyes!

Nobuya tells me it's a Dragon Dragonfly - a rare insect worth $600 simoleons! He also tells me that dragonflies are considered good luck. Really? I catch him fast! (Him meaning the dragonfly! lol)

I say a fast good-bye and thank Nobuya for the fishing tips and head to the bramble patch. On my way there...I see something in the forest...Hel...lo?


It's Rainy! Oh my gosh! You scared me...I thought you were a ghost! Rainy tells me she is out collecting herbs and plants for her new restaurant in Nukecrest, The Shack. It's a vegetarian restaurant and she invites me to drop by. We chat a bit more and then she waves goodbye and hurries on her way.

Just as I am about to enter the bramble patch, I look back and see Nobuya. Was he following me to make sure I was safe? Ahhh...so sweet.

Coming out of the bramble patch, I see the glittering water of the lake under the moonlight. I remember what the Ranger told me about unique fish being here and I decide to take a chance and see what I can catch! 

Ummm...not exactly a fish... Even better! A shower tarp! Yes! Yes! Yes! I still could only shower on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but I could shower on my own lot. In my own shower!

Wow! That dragonfly is really lucky!

Excited about my prize catch and the luck of the dragonfly, I race all the way to the Hermit's house...and she isn't there...AGAIN! Where could she be?

I decide that I am going to wait for her. I am NOT going to miss the Hermit this trip! So, I get comfy by the fire and read my mixology book that I had found a few days ago.

I was getting a bit hungry so I decide to roast a hot dog over the fire.

It was so quiet here, and I thought about the Hermit. How did the Hermit stay here all by herself? It was beautiful, yes, but it must be very lonely. I must ask her...if I EVER see her...and with that I nodded off to sleep.

"Good morning, dearie". A cheerful voice woke me up from my slumber. The Hermit! It's really her! "Come inside, dearie, and let's have some breakfast."

Over breakfast, I tell the Hermit why I've come to see her.

"Oh yes," she says, "the secret herbalism recipe." She tells me that I have to first go out into the forest and collect lots of plants. She tells me to taste them and try to identify them.

"But what if they're poisonous...I may die." She tells me that there are no poisons in her woods.

She points at a brown fungus growing out of the ground. She tells me to try that first.

I try a little piece...

Hmmm.....and a bit bigger piece....

Ummm....chewy...it's some type of mushroom...a morel mushroom? Ding! Ding! Ding! Correct!

All morning, I collect plants and herbs, and taste them and try to identify them. I collect so many, I earn an award!

It's almost time for a break and I head back to the Hermit's cottage. The Hermit has put out a special treat for me to try.

Beetles-on-a-stick! Are you kidding me? We couldn't just have granola or yogurt?

The Hermit tells me they are sort of like ants on a log minus the peanut butter. (Well, geez....that helps...I've never had ants on a log either)

Ummm...how do you know when they're ready to eat?

...here goes nothing...

Well, that's a surprise...they actually taste pretty good...a little crunchy too...

After our snack, we head over to her little garden and I help her harvest some plants.

I decide to change into my other clothes.

The Hermit tells me that I have enough ingredients to make my first herbal concoction...insect repellent. It smells really bad. I'm sure it won't just keep the insects away!

The Hermit teaches me a lot that afternoon...how to talk to plants...does this really help them grow?

How to take a plant cutting...oh, ok, two --two--two plants in one! Cool!

























How to collect insects and learn all their names. Is this a moth or a butterfly?

How to make sure your campfire is extinguished properly...as Smokey the Bear would say..only YOU can prevent forest fires!

She even taught me woodworking and how to make a knife block....ummm..that's great...I just need knives now...

And just general chit chat like...have you ever eaten a trash plant fruit? And before I know it, we are friends. Yeah!

Over a lunch of tofu hot dogs (something normal, thank goodness), she tells me the very, very, SUPER secret recipe for fungal infusion fertilizer. It was a family recipe, sort of like Dusty's fruitcake recipe.

But what about the deodorizing cream? I needed that recipe. She tells me the recipe for that, too, but that I didn't have all the ingredients that I needed. You know what that means...more harvesting, sampling and spitting...I mean tasting the herbs and plants...

...and attempting to identify them. Most of the time, it's like...I have No Idea!

 For all my sampling, I get another award! Hot Stuff!

The afternoon turns into dusk and soon I see the bluejay flying to its nest as night time approaches.

Before I go the Hermit brings out her Poloroid camera (I didn't even know those things still existed), and we take a nice photo together.

It's time to go and I am having a hard time saying goodbye. The Hermit and I make a pact that I will return soon and spend another day with her. AGREED!

By the time I get to the bramble patch, it is really dark. I can barely see in front of me. But then...I see a kind of light...What is that?

Whatever it is, it is so awe-sim and I grab it quickly. Luckily I do, because my driver shows up and it's time to go home. What an incredible trip...I can't wait to tell Dusty, Lavender Pink and Jeep Girl all about my adventures!