I mentioned last time that Amulet had become my magical familiar. I feel that I should go into some detail about that. Yes, she is my pet and is a regular member of my household. But if I choose to summon her as my familiar, she can do things for me to help my magic. Like forage for the items I need to make better potions.
And, of course, we all just enjoy her company as a member of the family, too. Even though she is getting up there in years, Amulet is still a very playful cat and still adorable!
Sometime after this picture was taken, my beloved Easton became an elder. It’s hard to believe that he is actually so much older than me, as he certainly does NOT act it at all!
The twins’ birthday is coming up. It’s been on my mind because I don’t have any better feel for them as magic users than I did before. I took them to the Glimmerbrook with me recently to meet with the Sages. I thought it would be like a test or an interview, but the Sages said to just let them wander around and do things, while I went about my own business.
Dawn found a wand and started waving it around. Caden wandered outside, to a stream and started fishing. One of the Sages joined him and they caught fish all afternoon. Another showed Dawn about the wands. I have never used one, as a potion crafter.
Later on, I was told that Dawn was a natural-born spellcaster and would do well in the Magic Realm.
“But?” I asked them. “Why don’t I sense it?”
Her brother, I was told. Caden has no natural ability, and as a twin, Dawn recognizes the difference and is compensating for it. Masking her ability so he doesn’t feel different from her.
I was floored. I remember my own mother telling me that her father struggled with magic in his youth, and had to train harder to learn and master what came naturally for some.
The Sages reminded me that even if he had natural ability, Caden could still seek and use Magic. But it would be a choice he would need to make.
I set these thoughts aside for the time being and focused on my children and their upcoming birthdays. They would be teenagers soon.
With their teenaged years come all the things you expect. Homework, class projects and lots of hanging out. During that time, I slowly built up our house into a lovely and comfortable home, worked on learning more potions, and continued to focus on herbalism.
Yes, Callie and I were having a birthday. We would be elders in our own rights.
The twins have grown into beautiful and amazing young people. I have been trying not to worry about them, but as time flies by, I realize that there will soon come a day when one of them must take up where I leave off. Dawn has been sneaking peeks at my potions cauldron. She seems curious but when I asked her about it, she said she liked the feel of a wand in her hand and would rather have that than anything else.
Caden declared that he wanted to become a fisherman and have a shack by the ocean. “Sulani!” he said. “It’s calling my name!” He spent so much time reading up on Sulani culture and searching for pictures of it on the internet. So much time dreaming about the rare and exotic fish he was going to catch…
//sigh//
If only he had been right about that. Or totally right about it, anyway.
I couldn’t help the growing feeling that one of my children would never live the life they thought they were going to live. The Vision, which came to me in the night before my transition to young adult, had yet to come to either of them. As I shared my concerns with Easton, he told me not to worry, that everything would work itself out the way it was supposed to.
The day of their next birthday, I baked them a cake, carefully placed the candles with such care. My babies were all grown up now.
But as Caden blew out his candles, he began to cry.
“Caden?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “I had I dream last night,” he told us. “I was a fisherman, just I have always wanted, but not on the beaches of Sulani.” As he spoke, my heart wrenched. He told us that as he blew out the candles, his heart was filled with the knowledge that he needed to go to Oasis Springs, and pick up where our family left there in our Mission to rebuild.
“That’s stupid!” Dawn told him. “You could just go to Sulani. I could –“
“No!” Caden interrupted her. “You didn’t get a Vision. You told me so, D. It has to be me.” He turned to me and asked the heartbreaking question. “Is it hard?”
“No,” I told him. “Just live your life and follow your heart. Being a fisherman – whether it’s in Sulani or Oasis Springs – will benefit the Mission.” It was obvious that this was why he had been chosen. Easton and I hugged our son and held him tight. My assurances did nothing to ease his broken heart. It would be a long time before he had the money and means on his own to get to Sulani and he knew it.
Our time was over, and his was just beginning…
Just a Simmer’s Note: Caden was the first born (named) of the twins, but like before, I was determined to see who had the most skills of the twins to decide who the Heir would be. And – just like before – the first born twin was it. I randomize their traits and Aspirations, so the fact that Caden wants to be an Angling Ace and that fishing is a HUGE part of House 003 is a total coincidence. I didn’t even look at it until the twins became YA. Below are the twins stats as of YA. Caden had 20 skills points! I still don’t know how that happens when I can’t control them!
I’ll have the house and other downloads up soon. 🙂