1.7 The Island

Mab reads to her children every night, sending them to sleep with dreams of fantasy worlds where one person can make a difference, and friendship has power, and good can always triumph, and love is the key.

These are the lessons she gathered from her own favorite books as a child, often books her own father had written with her in mind. And while they didn't do her much good, she thinks, in fact they filled her with expectations the world could not meet... she can't imagine raising her children any differently.

She tells them bits and pieces about her own childhood, on a far away island.

"Is that the ship you came here on?" Junpei wants to know.

"That's a lot of sails," Finley marvels.

The knight's ghost, unwilling to listen to reason, laughs in Mab's face. "A woman is sent to challenge me?"

She switches on the Banshee Banisher. "You wanna play rough, tough guy?"

"Away with you, wench! I will have words with the men of your village!"

Well she's not letting this go unpunished.

Trouble in dollhouse land. Ghosts and werewolves!

Junpei brushes his teeth three times between every meal.

Hidden Springs is proud of its immense spa resort and expensive, elaborate public pools.

Mab figures it's worth bringing the kids here at least once.

Even Finley treats it like a big adventure, and is inspired to ask some tough questions about Barnacle Bay, such as "How often did you get to fight a kracken, Mom?"

Mab responded with some unbelievable tale for them.

Because it's what they wanted to hear.

She's told them, with a bit of distaste, that Barnacle Bay was full of people who dressed like pirates, and gritty sand and the thick smell of salt water. But the children don't share her dislike of a place they've never seen, and their questions make their mother a bit wistful.

Maybe there's a loose end or two to tie up before she can put her origins behind her.

So, against Mab's better judgement, they took a trip.

It was, as promised, an island. The parameter of it could be walked within a single day.

The Archer house is where Mab left it.

On those rocky cliffs, unchanged.

Finley and Junpei are startled by the size of this place.

Harcourt and Mara are startled to see their daughter again.

Mab's father embraces her warmly, immediately forgiving her for everything.

Her mother turns away, wiping tears from her eyes.

Mab's parents look so much older now. They were still young adults when she ran away.

Mara is happy her daughter is doing well, but the wound she carries, the hurt of her only child leaving town so suddenly, will never quite heal.

Mab can empathize. She has children of her own now. If Finley and Junpei ran away... ... ...

While Mara gives the twins a tour of the old tree house outside, Mab can speak to her father alone. She tells him how things really went, with her life on the streets. She tells him about the father of her children; he will certainly tell her mother, but Mab didn't quite feel up to it herself.

She doesn't want to be ashamed, but she is ashamed. She feels like the Beverly Crusher of the family; that Star Trek character who won't ever be remembered for anything but getting it on with a ghost.

"We were heartbroken," Harcourt tells her. "We looked for you, for a long time. But even before we got your letter... we knew you'd be alright."

Mab pauses, puzzled. "How could you know?"

"My father."

Mab smiles weakly. "Oh. His supernatural powers were more than just a story, huh. I should have known."

Junpei is freaked out by his grandparents' gnome collection.

 Not to mention their photo collection.

 Finley stares at her brother. "Junpei... seriously... get a grip."

 "They're staring at meeee," he whines. "They're GONNA EAT US."

Mab's childhood bedroom is exactly how she left it.

The kids enjoy playing with Mab's old toys.

Finley thinks Mara's fishing career is totally gross.

"You can take home any of those toys you like," Harcourt interrupts.

Because they will be going home. Mara is trying to convince Mab to settle back in Barnacle Bay, but Harcourt knows that's a lost cause. Mab is happy in Hidden Springs, and feels she is still needed there. 

Harcourt sits down to play, too.

"I want the giraffe," Finley begs, while her brother pretends to crash land a toy spaceship.

Finley thinks it's really cool how her grandfather has his very own computer room.

"We used to have a computer, but Mom had to sell it to pay the bills," she informs him. "And I never knew you wrote some of my favorite books ever! Mom never tells me anything! She won't even tell me who my father is!"

Inspired, Finley tries her hand at writing her own stories. 

 

"They don't melt," Junpei observes.

"The ice has special chemicals in it," Finley explains, proud to have been the one to ask first. 

"Grandma said these two were twins," Junpei tells her, when she's finished. "The girl one looks just like you."

The 'girl one' even has Finley's hairstyle. Finley can see it now. That is creepy.

"You should take what you want from this house while you're here," Harcourt tells his daughter.

But Mab can't bear to take things from her parents' house while they are still alive.




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Etc.: As much as it annoyed me to load up the old save again, I felt like I really should.

Aside from letting Mab see her parents one last time, I wanted to give myself a loophole in case I wanted to rescue the portrait collection. 
 
By the way, here is the ice girl, in living form:



Her name was Cayenne Archer, and she was Finley's great-great-great-grandmother. 

That nose has been in the family for a long time.