CH 1.4 – The Sands of Time – Treasure in the Sand

The next morning, I lay in my tent listening to the sound of the desert wind softly blowing the sand against the tent. I faintly heard the peck, peck, peck of the gila woodpecker making its nesting hole in the spines of a saguaro cactus. And I heard the crying wail of a baby. A baby? What? Is someone visiting with a baby?

I quickly scrambled to get out of the tent. I looked around and there, beside the mailbox, is a bassinet lightly dusted in sand. I go over and peek inside. Yes, it’s a baby.

I searched and looked right and left. No-one in sight.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” I shouted into the barren wasteland.

Where is the mother…or father? Who does this baby belong to? I look at the baby again. Oh my, she is so small, and she’s…she’s smiling at me. How could someone leave this incredible baby? My heart melted. Then I see a piece of paper on top of the baby blanket. It looks like a note. I reach in and take it out and start to read.

I saw you at the art gallery opening the other night and heard someone say you were rich an heiress. I watched you for awhile and you seemed very kind and smiled a lot. I am young, unemployed and homeless, and can’t look after my baby give my baby the life that I want for her. When I heard your name, I knew last night that you were the one. It was meant to be destiny. Her name is Rosa. Please look after her. Don’t let the bad people them take her away.  ~L~

Oh my plumbobs! Someone left their baby here for me to look after! They abandoned their baby! I will have to call social services. I can’t keep this baby. I am not rich. I live in a tent for plum’s sake. How is this a life for a baby? And who is ~L~?

I dialed the number for social services and told them what happened.

“Yes, that’s right. A baby. Someone abandoned a baby beside my mailbox. You’ll send someone over? In a few hours? Ok. Yes. I will be here.”

I heard the baby cry again. Poor thing must be hungry. It was then that I noticed a small bag beside the bassinet. I peered inside and saw some bottles, formula, diapers, powder…what else was in here?

I picked the baby up and immediately the baby stopped crying.

“Hi Rosa”, I whispered, “Don’t be afraid. You’ll be in a new home soon.” I rocked and cooed the baby and soon Rosa was asleep.

Just then, a car pulled up and out walked a rather stern looking woman. She walked over to me, and flashed some ID and said her name was Agnes Crumplebottom*. I said hello, and she didn’t seem very friendly. I showed her the note. She read it and grumbled through the whole thing.

“Is this the child?” she asked, impatiently looking at the baby.

“Yes, yes, it is”, I said. I took one last look at the sweet face and handed the baby to the social worker. The social worker took the baby and the diaper bag in one swoop. [Author’s note – oh my gosh, the baby definitely does NOT like Agnes!]

“We’ll be in touch,” is all she said, as she started walking towards the car.

I thought of that warm bundle in my arms, and remembered myself long ago as I moved from one foster home to the next. Somehow never fitting in, always anxious to please, but never staying in one place for too long. Never feeling I had a home…a family.“WAIT!” “STOP!” I shouted, as I ran towards the car. “What is gong to happen to her?”

The social worker explained that they would put her in temporary foster care and do a search for the mother or father.

“She will be a ward of the state,” said the social worker matter-of-factly.

“She’ll be a what? A ward of the state?” Those words hung in the air and Rosanna was transported back to a time long ago. “I was a ward of the state once….” I whispered.

Then I remembered the note…“don’t let them take her away.” Yes, I had to do something.

“But….but what if I wanted to keep her….ummm…adopt her? Could I do that?” I tentatively asked.

Oh my plumbobs! What had I just said? I was not myself, but I couldn’t let Rosa be a ward of the state. I had to do something to prevent it.

“Well, this isn’t exactly the environment for a baby,” Agnes said harshly waving her hand at my lot looking around disapprovingly.

“Do you even have a job?” she snapped.

“Well…..I…..yes, I do. I work at the art gallery. Mortimer Goth hired me. I inherited my great, great, great, great aunt’s estate…..” I started.

At the name of “Goth”,  Agnes Crumplebottom seemed to soften towards me.

“Why, yes, I heard of you. Mortimer Goth hired you? You must have impressed him. We’ll still have to do some searching for the parents, and adoption does take some time and money. $1,000 simoleons to be exact. Do you have that kind of money?”

“Well, I have some things I could sell….I would really like to adopt this baby.” I said assuredly. I knew in my heart that I had made the right decision.

“Well, then, why don’t you come down to the office and we’ll see what we can do.”

Within a matter of hours, and thanks to the recommendation of Mortimer Goth, I was able to adopt Rosa. I was determined to provide Rosa with a happy, loving home. Standing there, looking at my lot, I knew I would work hard for her, for us.

Just at that moment, the sand swirled around us, and I thought of that cryptic note my great, great, great, great aunt had written. “Sand is your destiny”. It certainly was, and so was Rosa.

Author’s Note:

I wanted to bring a social worker into the story…and who better than to bring in someone from the infamous CrumpleBottom family? Read more about them HERE. In The Sims 3, Agnes Crumplebottom, is the aunt of Mortimer Goth

In writing the Art Walk chapter, I had not planned Mortimer Goth to be in the museum, nor had I planned ahead for this chapter. It all just happened. But, this all kind of worked out rather nicely with the Crumplebottom – Goth tie-in, and a great way to explain how Rosanna gets such a quick adoption. I hope you enjoyed that twist.

Thank you to Santaclausnm for creating the lovely Agnes Crumplebottom available for download in the gallery.