***WARNING PICTURE HEAVY UPDATE***
Lisa, like the rest of the community, was deeply concerned about the disappearance of Raven Valdin. It appeared as if he'd simply vanished from the face of the earth! He wasn't registered at her practice, but she did still wonder about him and his family. That was the problem with being such a high profile character... like the Mayor of SimCity. They had targets on their heads.
But, life went on and she still had sick patients to attend to, conferences to take part in. It was all go go go for her. Occasionally, she'd let herself out. But most days she was on call, her phone ringing off the hook at all hours. Sometimes in the early hours of the day or night, waking her up.
Then there was the County Fair. A great occasion for villages and towns alike to visit and enjoy the local fayre. Stalls with homemade produce and great places to eat the finest locally produced foods around. It was nice to be out and about, meet and greet people.
It was set in a small clearing near to a forested area, with stalls of all varieties laid out. A wooden bridge spanned the river. It was a perfect setting actually. Very picturesque.
The day was beautiful and sunny, hardly a cloud in the sky. By the time Lisa had arrived, people were milling around. The only notable absence was that of the Mayor. Raven Valdin. His abduction had been big news. No ransom note, no phone calls. Nothing. His family must be frantic, she thought to herself.
It was Father Thomas who had to step up and open the Fair. Something this rather reserved vicar, secretly enjoyed. Although he blushed and stuttered his way through his hastily written speech.
So it was a great surprise to everyone, including Lisa, to see him jamming with a few other people on the bandstand. It appeared that he loved to play drums. Although that's as far as it went. Since he was completely tone deaf and out of sync with everyone else.
Whilst she was wandering around, the most delicious smells were wafting on the breeze from the food stalls. Lisa had been hearing about their famous Chicken Pot Pies and Seared Cat Fish meals that she just couldn't resist trying them out first.
"Be with you in a minute ma'am." the chef called out, "what's it ya wantin'?"
"I'll have one of your pot pies please."
"Hey, good choice good choice, they're very popular."
By the time he served her the meal, she was practically salivating from the aroma and her stomach grumbled rather loudly. The chef laughed.
"I get that all the time, it's me pies, folks cannot resist em."
"I can understand that, this smells gorgeous. What's your secret?"
"Ah." he tapped the side of his nose, "secret."
She was tucking in, when she spotted none other than the rather cantankerous Frank Isaac. Minus his walking cane.
"Hey Frank!" she called over, "where's your cane?"
"Oh hi doctor," came the sheepish reply, "I ... um... guess I forgot it."
"Just remember to look after it, and try not to exert yourself."
"Will do."
Funny, Lisa mused, he appeared distracted about something. Since usually he came back with a rather tart reply. She wondered if his daughter knew about him faking his slow recovery rate. He always grumbled about his aches and pains at every check up.
"Enjoying that pie?" a voice cut through her thoughts.
"Um, yeah it's really good."
"That's my brother for ya. He's really proud of his cookin'. He's in the Military ya know. Aiming to be an astronaut at some point in his life. He's just fillin' in time here whilst he's off duty."
"Oh, that's interesting."
Hey bro, want one? It's on the house!"
"Nah, I've already eaten thanks. Give it to this young lady, she could do with a little meat on those lean bones of hers."
Lisa blushed at his generosity... and his forthrightness. She found him charming and easy to talk to. And so they struck up a conversation for a little while. Until he suggested the log rolling contest. Lisa wasn't so sure.
"It's a great way of unwinding, and it's fun," he insisted.
So, with a little hesitation, she finally agreed. However, she wasn't carrying a swimsuit, so she had to buy one from one of the stalls. It wasn't her type - too tacky with the leopard skin pattern. But she knew that once she went home, she'd never go back out again.
The water looked murky brown and she paused, before stepping onto the log.
It wobbled a little. Then a lot, and she fell in with a mighty splash!
Hauling herself out, she tried again and found she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
Sadly, nobody else was willing to challenge her, the light was starting to fade and people were leaving. So she headed for the shower to clean herself off and change back into her clothes.
As she started walking away from the park area, a tall skinny man stormed past her, muttering to himself. By the time she'd turned around, all she could really see was the back of his head.
But something struck her about the way he was acting. His hands were clenched into fists and his shoulders were stooped slightly.
Something familiar.
Very familiar indeed.
*************
Editors Notes:
Many apologies for plumbobs and thought/speech bubbles appearing. I've forgotten how to turn those off, so they've had to stay. Also, it's been a long long time (about 2 years) since I last loaded up and played Sims. Hence the deluge of pics - I kinda went nutzo with the camera. It wasn't the update I wanted, but still.....
