Good evening, dears! Do you remember old Maude? Some of you may. For those of you who don’t, I’m the friendly phantom that used to flit around Mt. Geneva, spying on its residents and spinning tales out of their triumphs and tragedies. A lonely job, to be sure, but better than hiding in one’s tombstone and venturing out only to scare young ruffians.
When Mt. Geneva disappeared (one day it was there; the next day it was not! Tragic!), I escaped to tranquil Shady Bluff. For awhile it showed promise, but then it, too, withered away, and I was left watching the squirrels run around and chitter at each other. Not very exciting for an old busybody like myself! Maude needs people, you know, not squirrels.
So I became a wanderer. I drifted away from Shady Bluff and traversed the vast lands of Sim Nation, through forests and fields and desert. Mostly desert. I don’t know what I was looking for, dears, but it certainly wasn’t turning up.
Eventually I came upon an Oasis in the middle of the sands. If I had real eyes, my dears, I would have rubbed them. Was it a mirage? It had to be. Why else would a little diner would be sitting smack dab in the middle of nowhere? Very odd, to say the least!
I floated onwards, my curiosity piqued.
Oh, happy day! There were people inside! A good number of them! I had been aching to hear some real conversation. Who knows how long I languished in Shady Bluff without so much as a murmur from any living thing!
(Unless you count the murmur of leaves rustling in the wind…but even that gets a little tiresome, dear readers. Trees tend to say the same things over and over again. People are ever so much more intriguing in the long run.)
Right away I spied two gentlemen who looked promising. I hurried towards them! But as it turns out, they weren’t talking about anything interesting — just the boxing match that was playing on the television. Boxing! Of all things. I’d rather listen to trees!
I fizzled for the briefest of moments, then turned hopefully towards a young couple sitting by the window.
“But honey, it’s only 35 cents!”
“I don’t care. You’re NOT getting the grilled cheese again.”
“But honey, it’s the best thing on the menu!”
“I don’t care, Margaret! I refuse to enable your grilled cheese addiction!”
“But honey…”
Well! I thought. Enough of that. As much as I savor a little conflict now and then (just to keep the ennui from settling in, you understand), this exchange was just plain silly. Maude has a difficult time abiding extreme silliness.
Wasn’t anyone going to satisfy me with a conversation of substance? Was the Oasis to be as desolate as the desert surrounding it? Goodness gracious.
The two men sitting in the corner booth were my last hope.
(continued on Page 2)
Great start to a story, Jen! Can’t wait to hear more.
Wow it’s nice to see Maude again….very interesting the things she’s privy to
MAUDE!! Yeah!! I missed her. :D
Haha, great intro, Jen! Your stories never grow old but I haven’t read far back enough to know Maude, although I think I can pick up what’s going on ^^. Your picture taking ability winds my jaw to the ground … More updates !! :D
Good ol’ Maude! Nice to see her ghostly self again. Maude! You’ve been missed! Can’t wait to hear more of Ahanu Bay. It’s sounding better and better as time goes on. :D
I missed Maude D: I can’t wait to hear more!
Interesting starting point am defientely looking forward to hearing more
Gleee! Maude! :D Glee! Ahanu Bay starting up! And.. Gleee! Tiny cute desert diner! Where did you get all that custom stuff, Jen? =)
Wow, it must be really fun to write from her point of view, being a ghost wandering from place to place, discovering secrets and being able to study people without being considered a freak!
I’m definately looking forward to reading more of Maude’s tales!
ooooh! Maude! Wow! What a treat. Nothing like the good old days… and as usual…. it looks like she’s discovered plenty of interesting things. Love The Oasis, it all looks great. Looking forward to more!
YAYY!!! Maude’s awesome, I’m glad you brought her back (especially into your new neighborhood)!!!
I’m babysitting, so this’ll be short…great update!
Oh Jen! I am so ashamed of my desert community when I look at yours! Wherever did you find the flora and … petra? ALSO, are you using a “hotkey” program for the screenshots ( I think that’s what it’s called?)?
Wow, this story looks facinating! ^^ I’m a new reader, just finished reading every single one of your stories and loved everything! Can’t wait to hear more about this.
By the way, how did you get the cars parked the way they were? I thought they just park on the street, not like a parking lot.
MAUDE!!! W00t!
Very creative. Can’t wait to see what comes next!
Jen I’ve got a site!Just click my name and you’ll go to it!Everyone else who reads these comments PLEASE take a look and tell me what you think!
Okay I just clicked on my name and it turns out THAT’S not my blog but if you click on my name NOW it is.
Jen, just to make sure, you WILL check my blog out, won’t you?I’d really appreciate it if you did, but no pressure of course!Okay?
My site’s called jemcay’s site.
PLEASE!
I just found your blog a few weeks ago, I had heard about the RKC challenge on the official Sims2 site, and wanted to do a Victorian version since I love that era. I was searching for stuff when I came across Annabel Island, then I read about the Braytons, and Fran. Haven’t read about Maude yet, but I can’t wait to hear more about her. I just wanted to say that I love your stories, they’re absolutely wonderful, and I can’t wait for the next one!
YAY update. and a cool one at that. i read all maudes tales when i first came to your site. they are sooooo cool. :)
Great Start to a cool story. I cant wait to here more. I wonder if maude will come across the founders of Ahanu Bay. while shes there :)
be cool if she did. Oh and fran! but shes not there yet.
Anyway. Cant wait for more ! XXX
wow! This stroy is engrossing. I wanna know what happens next.
Maude is back! Great story Jen, it’s nice to see another Maude update.
This is really interesting, Jen. What caused you to go this route?
Oooo, very interesting! I love the little diner! Very nice. I’m interested to see where this goes. Definitely an interesting direction to take.
A great start! I can’t wait. You always have such tantalizing introductions.
I was wondering whether Maude was gone for good. Oh, how I’ve missed her! Thanks for bringing her back. I can’t wait for her to fill me in on Ahanu Bay. :)
OMG, this is great Jen! I loved the dialogue, and that little diner was adorable! Felt like the real thing! I can’t wait to see what Ahanu Bay is like!
Yay! Maude. I love her. Very nice diner. Did you build it? Your sets are great!
Hey guys! Thanks for the comments. Maude was glad to be back!
Welcome to the new readers and commenters! It’s always nice to see new faces.
To answer some questions:
Kay – Shoot, I can’t remember offhand where I got some of that stuff. I’ll do a credits page when I get home! Don’t let me me forget!
winkling – The desert-y plants are from Simply Styling, and the rocks (I *think*) are by Nengi65. She’s retired but you should be able to find most of her stuff at the Sims 2 Graveyard. I’ll double-check when I get home… And yes, I use Snag-It to take my pictures. I love it! There’s more info in my FAQ.
Alie – I have Nightlife, so those are just cars parked in driveways. I used the invisible driveway recolor from roddyaleixo at Mod the Sims 2, so that’s why you can’t see it!
Anonymus – It looks like your site is gone! Will you be starting up another one?
Angelia – What cause me to go this route? Hm, good question! I’m not sure I know how to answer it. I blame Maude…
Christina – Yup, I built the diner. And thanks, I’m glad you liked it! :-D
I love the diner! Will it be available anywhere to download?
I’m glad to see Maude back. I think she was what hooked me onto your blog in the first place.