(Continued from Part I)

Even a good day’s sleep couldn’t restore Joey’s spirits. He wandered around in a state of constant agitation, turning the TV on and off again, opening and closing the refrigerator without taking any food, and standing up to look out the window. All he could think about was what Tiffy said on the deck the night before, and the sight of his father’s ghost only hours afterwards. It was like his father was trying to tell him something…

But these were only surface thoughts that I could read — I couldn’t penetrate more deeply into his troubled mind, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to! Eventually he called a cab and left the house for a time, and I chose to remain where I was, thinking Tiffy might come home soon. I wanted to see how she was holding up after seeing Sid’s ghost. Well, I have to say, I was somewhat surprised when she arrived home — she was in the most cheerful mood imaginable! Almost immediately she changed into her sweats and started working out in front of the TV.

Apparently she wanted to lose a few pounds so she could fit into the dress she had bought for Joey’s upcoming wedding.

“Must…stop…eating…mac and cheese…” she grunted between sit-ups.

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Good morning, dears! Maude here with an update on the unfortunate Kilman family. Last we left them, Joey Kilman had gotten engaged to Bailey Singleton and moved back into the old trailer house with his sister, Tiffy. As promised, he gave up his life of crime and got a job at a car wash in Sim City — at least, that’s what he said he did…

I was simply hanging around the Kilman Trailer one night, floating from room to room, when I heard a noise like someone rattling a door. It wasn’t too terribly loud, but for some reason it made Tiffy sit straight up in bed! Her eyes widened as she glanced around the room.

For a moment I thought she saw me, but she was looking through me at the door. Listening for more noise, she quietly swung around to the edge of the bed.

Light, deliberate footsteps sounded in the hallway behind me. Someone was definitely sneaking around out there and not doing a very good job of it! Tiffy jumped to her feet and went to the door, pausing a moment before flinging it open.

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Good morning, dears! Has it been so long? I’ve been flitting around all morning, but I’m going to take a moment’s rest and tell you how the Blakemores have been doing. Remember Ferris and her paramour, George? Last we spoke of them, their puppy love was in full bloom, and Ferris had all but forgotten the hard times of her childhood. Good for her, I say!

But what about her mother, Tess? She’d had a rough time of it being a single parent, but she had finally gotten promoted at Happy Lawn and given up her partying ways in order to provide a better example to Ferris. She still enjoyed a date or two with men from work, though — or should I say ‘a man’ from work, since one in particular had captured her fancy.

His name was Stewart Beagle, and he worked with Tess in Sales. Stewart and his best friend Hugh had just moved to Mt. Geneva to escape the noise and congestion of the city. Stewart and Tess didn’t hit it off immediately — Tess thought Stewart was a bit arrogant and cold, and Stewart thought Tess was a ditz. But after happy hour one night, they got into a rousing discussion about art — watercolor vs. oil paints — and ended up back at Tess’s place. Of course, you can guess what happened.

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(continued from Part I)

The very next morning, Joey put his plan into action. Step one involved a serious examination of his appearance. He seemed to think the mohawk made him a bit too “conspicuous”. He also pondered growing some facial hair to make himself look more mature. After all, Bailey was an older woman!

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This is Maude, your friendly neighborhood phantom, with another one of those “catching up” stories. This time we’ll check back in with the Kilmans, who have gone from poor and happy to not-so-poor and not-so-happy. You’d think a bigger house and more money would make their lives easier, wouldn’t you? But of course, it’s never enough.

We’ll start with Rhonda Kilman. After her subtle makeover, she applied for a few jobs and received a callback for an interview at SimCorp, the place where her son Joey worked. Rhonda didn’t really know what SimCorp did, but she didn’t seem to care, as long as they hired her. Time to ditch the mangled jean shorts and kiddie top and go for something a little more impressive…

That’s right, Rhonda bought a new blue dress for the occasion and couldn’t believe what a difference it made. She stood in front of the mirror several times a day just checking herself out and whispering, “Oh yeah, babe, you’ve got it made. Made in the shade, babe. Made in the shade.” I had no idea what she was talking about, but she seemed pretty pleased with herself.

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Maude here, exhausted from an evening spent scaring young hooligans. Someone dared a few of Mt. Geneva’s teenagers to spend Halloween night at Berthiaume Manor, so they broke in and made themselves right at home! You should have seen the looks on their faces when a candelabra jumped into the air and sailed right past them. Take that, you ruffians!

Ahem. I’m not usually a violent ghost, dear readers, but I really really don’t like trespassers. My father didn’t either. He used to set the dogs on them! Anyway, on to our update for today, in which we have another elder, another teen romance, and another politician yap-yap-yappin’ away.

Yes, it’s Will Dobbins, the aforementioned politician. Being a Congressman suits him well, but he has stars in his eyes and wants to run for Senator at the next election. On this particular night he was working on a speech about Mt. Geneva’s spaghetti noodle shortage. Way to stay on top of the most pressing issues, Will!

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Good afternoon! Maude here. Is it just me, or is Mt. Geneva positively swimming with teenagers? Hormones and drama and spectacle everywhere I look! It wears me out, and ghosts don’t wear out easily, let me tell you. Oh well, I guess I’d better get used to it, because the teen invasion shows no signs of ebbing!

Brace yourselves for another young romance, dear readers. This time little Ferris Blakemore — though not so little anymore — falls under love’s inescapable spell.

It started one Saturday with Ferris asking her mom if she would take her shopping for some new clothes. Tess jumped at the idea, since she had some extra money now and was longing to buy a new outfit herself. Ferris was thrilled and suggested they go to Bev’s Boutique, a combination clothing and game shop. Little did Tess know that Ferris had an ulterior motive!

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Greetings, my dears! Maude here with yet another tale to tell. It will be relatively short and painless, I promise! I just thought I’d share the news of Rhonda Kilman’s transformation, subtle though it may be. You see, since the death of her husband Sid, Rhonda has been acting a bit strange. First there was her hasty engagement to Alessandro Desanto, who may be devilishly handsome but lacks a certain something. Charm, perhaps? Her kids all but ignore the man. But I digress. We were discussing Rhonda’s weird behavior of late…you know, I can’t put my finger on it! She just seems a little too eager to become…someone else.

If you recall, when she moved into Gustav House, she met a couple of the Singleton girls, Audrey and Bailey. She was so impressed with their chic clothing and trendy hairstyles that she asked Audrey to stop by and give her a makeover. As she explained to her fashionable new friend, she was thinking of entering the workforce and wanted to look more “professional” and “up-to-date”. Green eye shadow and heavy blusher didn’t seem quite so glamorous now that she had grown up a bit.

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