MURKLAND - THURSDAY - CHAPTER 17

"THERE'S A LITTLE GREEN MAN IN MY HEAD"*

*Lyrics to Destroyer by The Kinks (1981)

Shhh...come here...tell me now...do you believe in alien life? I mean, we have been through the apocalypse, have friends who are Mutant Raccoons, Mad Mudders, plantsims, and The Infected, so I guess, anything is possible. Right? This IS Murkland after all.

Well, Lavender Pink thinks that aliens are living amongst us, and she has heard rumors that there is an alien living at the mine. Yep, the mine where Dusty's cousin, Dustin, lives. No, I'm not saying HE is the alien, I am just saying that Lavender Pink thinks that there is an alien living with them. But, I am kind of nervous about visiting there...what if I get abducted?

[photo credit: Frederique Brenninkmeijer]
Don't scoff at my concerns. What? You don't believe me....
Well maybe you should talk to Freddie...yep, she says that her hubby, Wayne, was abducted by aliens...twice...! And, he didn't come back alone...oh no...he had a bun in the oven, if you know what I mean. Yesiree. Well, that's what I heard.

Personally, though, I just want to meet an alien who can give me the secret to creating perfect trash plants! Sheesh! Perfection and trash plants cannot be used in the same sentence. Not yet. Still a bit to go with 7 Excellent, 7 Superb and 2 Magnificent trash plants.

So, guess where we are going today on the Dawn 'til Dust Tour? Yep, you guessed it, to visit an alien...I mean to visit the mine and the Murky Miners.

We arrive at the camp and no sooner do we get there than Estrella Todd runs out to meet us. Their camp, the Nukecrest Mine, was once a thriving mine, but due to a disaster, the mine closed eons ago and never re-opened. Now, it is home to a rag-tag bunch of squatters.

We head to the back of the camp and everyone seems so curious as to who we are. We meet Mara Bledsoe and Ronen Farrar. Ronen is one of Dustin's friends, so Dusty heads over to talk to him.

Ronen was just starting a card game with Robin Westfall, DeLighDra Kamaroon and Estrella. It looks like DeLighDra is having a hard time keeping a poker face about his (her?) winning hand.

Mara is excited to see us and has heard so many tales of life in Murkland. She tells us a bit about the mine and gives us a tour. There are three main buildings in the camp.

Building 1 looks like the remains of an office. A small kitchen area with a rusting fridge complete the room.

We learn that the building is not really used other than for the small bathroom, which has a rudimentary bathtub and toilet. Such a luxury! Ooops...looks like it's occupied. The Murky Miners never did get around to installing a door to the bathroom. On the opposite wall, the old timeclock and timecards are still there, and the arrow on the wall points to the stairs leading to the mine tunnels. 

Mara tells us that the actual mine is a circuitous series of tunnels which lead to mineral deposits and gem stones worth mega simoleons. But rock slides have made the mine impassable, and everything has been boarded up. It is unsafe to go down below with those earthquake tremors jostling boulders loose now and again.

The tour continues to the sleeping areas and there are two bunkhouses. One for the guys and one for the gals. Both look almost identical. Four single beds in each bunkhouse and only a few personal belongings.

In the gals's quarters, Jeep Girl is chatting with DeLighDra about make-up tips. DeLighDra is very concerned about concealer, and Jeep Girl seems to have some answers for him (her?) and tells DeLighDra where to find a special mud.

Dusty finds her cousin, Dustin Boots playing chess at the back, and calls us all over. Lavender Pink, however, is determined to find that "alien" and she decides to explore the camp.

Lavender Pink finds an intriguing wall drawing and is convinced it is a sketch of an alien. No sim ever looked like that.

She decides to search the bushes for clues... and she even searches the pee bush! Nothing.

She looks down the water well...H-e-l-l-o! Hey alien are you down there? No answer.

Oh my plumbobs! Where can that alien be? Maybe the alien is hiding in the mine....

Lavender Pink is certain that she saw some "eyes" staring back at her when she was looking at the boarded-up entrance....hmmm.... it has got to be that alien, but how can she get down to the mine?

Aha! Lavender Pink remembers that there are stairs going down to the mine tunnels from the office. But, when she descends the stairs, everything is blocked off. Plus it's dark and scary down there.

Meanwhile...up top...Estrella is mixing up some drinks for everyone...

...and, Shara Martin is busy doing her routine chores of watering the treasured trash plants. Hmmm...just normal quality.

Robin and DeLighDra are chatting with Jeep Girl about the ghost sightings at their camp. 

Robin: "You should hear all the noises sometimes. And the shifty shapes. We have one blue ghost that comes out of the boarded up mine entrance...oh yah...spooky."

DeLighDra:"Oh and the WAILS....those wails sound like a banshee."

Jeep Girl turns suddenly to a horrid noise and, come to think of it, a noise that almost sounds like a banshee wail. 

Jeep Girl: "Umm...Banshee? Are you sure you didn't hear Mara playing her violin?"

Mara responds: "Well, I'm getting better!"

And everyone, including Mara, bursts out laughing.

Dustin is on lunch duty and serves up some franks and beans and fruit kebobs. What a feast!

This tour sure is making me hungry. Neila "Neil" Alien and I are the first ones at the table. Neil tells me his last name is pronounced "AL.I.AM", (like "will.i.am"). Neil has been here the longest and has actually done some mining in the mines. He tells me that his skin turned green due to the copper in the mines and his longtime exposure to it. He says he has to check on some readings in the mine and disappears before Lavender Pink comes back from her "alien hunt".

Down below, Lavender Pink hears the lunch whistle and decides to continue her search for alien life after lunch. Even when alien hunting, you need to eat!

After lunch, Robin cranks up the tunes and everyone is having a blast. Pretty soon the whole camp is dancing and Lavender Pink forgets all about finding an alien at the mine. It's too bad Neil isn't there as I'm sure that Lavender Pink would like to meet him.

Ronen tells us about his work-out schedule regime and gives us a boxing demo. Oooh!  Look at those muscles!

After that display, Dusty seems quite HOT, so Dustin invites Dusty and I for a swim. But, the water is red! Dustin tells us there is algae in the water that thrives on the water's high salt content causing the water to turn red. Dusty seems worried that the salt will dry out her skin, so we opt to just sit and cool our toes. We have a great time listening to Dustin's tales of Dusty and his other cousin, Mel.

Lavender Pink decides to join us, and has decided that the rumor about an alien living at the mine is false. She hasn't spotted one alien!

Just then, we see Shara coming towards us. She is covered in red spots! Oh my plumbobs! Dustin tells us that he is the resident medic and has to attend to Shara. We decide that now would be a good time to leave and hastily say our goodbyes. I hope Shara will be okay. As we head off, we hear Dustin mumble something about the dreaded Llama Flu.

Well, Lavender Pink may not have found an alien at the Nukecrest Mine, but that doesn't mean her search is over. Oh no! She has heard another rumor that aliens helped the Cliff Dwellers with all their plants. So our next tour stop is to visit the Cliff Dwellers, and another alien hunt for Lavender Pink.

Precipice is so happy to meet us and invites us to come in for a tour. She has heard so many wonderful things about me from her husband, Crag, and wishes me luck on my road to perfect trash plants.

The outside of their house, Cliff City, may be rocky, but the inside is nothing but spectacular! A peaceful oasis of water and greenery. I have never seen anything like it!

As we head down the stairs, I see Jeep Girl in amongst some "glowing trees" and she almost looks mesmerized by them. I learn that those trees are called Growfruit trees. I have never seen one before. They look magical.

Once downstairs, I see Ridge and give him a big hug. He introduces me to his sister, Scarp, and his nieces, Ledgy and Rocky.

I find out that they are all vegetarians and that their family has been collecting and preserving plants and insects from before the apocalypse. I look at some of the plants and they are all perfect quality. In fact, everything I see is of perfect quality! Amazing!

Jeep Girl and Lavender Pink continue on the tour with Crag who leads them upstairs. They pass an intricate bird sculpture and a sundial and they both agree that Cliff City is an impressive place!

I continue exploring and see Dusty in a room holding a dance class and also meet Ledgy's daughter, Bluffy. What a cutie!

On my way to join Jeep Girl and Lavender Pink, I stop for a moment and decide to explore an ancient well. A sign on the well says it's a wishing well. Oh really?

I look in my pocket and have a few coins to make an offering and I toss them in and make a wish. All of a sudden, I see a flash of light and a booming voice tells me that my "gift" was lacking. Where is that voice coming from? Is someone down there? Oh my plumbobs!

I don't think this is a good thing. What is happening? Where are my simoleons going?

Ok, last time I wish for more wealth! Now I have less since the ogre of the well took some! Even farther from that $15K I am supposed to have. Sheesh! Now I have to work even harder!

I hear some voices, and at another level, I see Lavender Pink, Jeep Girl and Dusty sitting in a lovely garden. I head over to chat, and see that Lavender Pink doesn't look too happy. Dusty tries to cheer her up by telling an alien joke, but I don't think Lavender Pink is too amused.

Lavender Pink tells us that she hasn't found an alien here either! She is insistent that there are aliens...but they are all just hiding somewhere. Jeep Girl listens intently as Lavender Pink rants and sympathizes with her.

Dusty ventures downstairs to help Precipice with dinner. She meets Ridge, who is calling everyone together for a family meeting.

At the meeting, Crag proposes setting up a food bank for the Murklanders so they can have something to eat besides trash fruit and tainted pufferfish. Ridge interjects that they should teach the Murklanders to garden and provide seeds to them. Both Precipice and Scarp agree with Ridge and suggest that perhaps they can also make the community garden larger. They all agree that these are good ideas. Crag has an appointment with the Mayor tomorrow and will address these issues.

We head upstairs and find a beautiful dining area and sit down to eat the lovely fruit kebobs that Dusty and Precipice prepared. Yum!

Eventually, once the family meeting is over, everyone comes up to join us for dinner.

Lavender Pink questions Scarp about the rumors she heard about the Cliff Dwellers getting help from aliens. Scarp, of course, wholeheartedly denies these rumors. Jeep Girl looks at Lavender Pink and says, "Oh plumbobs! Here we go again! Lavender Pink, give it up girl...there are no aliens...here or anywhere in Murkland or Nukecrest!"

After dinner, Dusty challenges Ridge to a game of chess.

Jeep Girl leads Lavender Pink to the painting room, and soon they are painting lovely landscapes, laughing together and Lavender Pink has forgotten all about the alien hunt.

Precipice tells me there's a great view from the top, so I head up the stairs and take a look.

And she is so right! The view is breathtaking and I see Fort Murkland across the way. Wow! Look at that full moon.

I look at that moon and think about Karim and wish he was here with me. My thoughts turn to yesterday and I wonder what he was going to ask me. Well, I won't know for a few days as he had to go to San Myshuno on some business for the Murkland Mercantile Company. *Sigh* I really miss him.

On my way back downstairs, I come across a very interesting doorway. What can it be? There is a switch on the side and I decide to turn it on.

There is a green swirl and there is a sound coming from somewhere beyond this doorway.

Kate: "Ummm....hello?"

Uh....I stand back....and suddenly there appears...

Neil? Did Neil just come from...from that portal?

Neil: "Kate, you are hilarious! I was just visiting the Cliff Dwellers and walked through from the other side to give you a good laugh!"
It sounds like a plausible reason, but something doesn't feel quite right.

And all of a sudden.....ZAP! BAM! BOOM! I am being analyzed!

Oh my gosh! Lavender Pink was right! They live among us!

Oh my plumbobs! NEIL IS AN ALIEN!

Neil: "I'm sorry I have to do this, Kate, but I have to keep my secret safe.You will have no memory of me."

Kate: "Wha.....? Where am I? I feel so dazed. Wha...? Where am I? I feel so dazed. Wha...?"

Credits:
A big thank you to the great lots and murky sims created by simmers who play the Murkland Challenge. All are available for download in the Gallery. 

Also, a HUGE thanks to Frederique Brenninkmeijer for allowing me to use her great screen shot of an alien abduction.

Murky Miners Camp in Nukecrest:

Nukecrest Mine by PhantasmKiss

[Originally a generic lot, I changed to residential and added the 2 bunkhouses and kitchen area]

Murky Miners:

(Individual sims need to be downloaded separately, some hairstyles and/or clothing items were substituted as I don't have all the expansion packs or use cc)

(from left to right)
Robin Westfall by Toffeecat2004
Mara Bledsoe (Rag Girl) by NoodleBoyNero
Shara Martin (Murkland Simself) by askaemartin
Estrella Todd by RavyngeGaming
Neila "Neil" Alien by theSTRANGERo
MurkyGuys (below) all made by Mndrgntobldrgn
Dustin Boots (a version of Brennachan's Dusty Boots) 
Ronen Farrar
DeLighDra Kamaroon

Cliff City and The Cliff Dwellers by Brennachan, creator of The Murklnd Challenge.