Here are the kids of generation two! I’m including Avery, even though he is not our founder’s biological son. Traits are subject to change when afk takes over and starts shaping his heir/heiress. 🙂
Andrew is a potential heir!
Alyssa is a potential heiress!
Here’s a shot of the front of the house, how it is now:
I’ve had an amazing time with this family, and I can’t wait to see where they go from here!
Posted in Generation 1 - Jacob
I’m sorry I’ve neglected you for so long. Things got really busy after the girls were born. Not that they were really any trouble, except Randi and I are outnumbered five-two!
Between teaching Andrew and Aaron to walk and talk…
…And making sure Alora and Alyssa were fed, clean, and happy, Randi and I barely had any time to ourselves. Not to mention privacy. Avery has shared our bed since he outgrew his crib. We haven’t had the money–or the space!–for a big boy bed for him.
Avery’s a sweet boy, though, and doesn’t seem to mind. He even helps out around the house; doing dishes, pulling weeds, and even cleaning out the younger boys’ potty! I don’t thank him as much as I should, Journal, but when I have time I take a moment to tell him how much he’s loved and appreciated.
Dear Journal,
Andrew and Aaron just turned five, and they started school last month. Things have finally become a lot less hectic around here!
Our little girls have grown a lot since my last entry, as well! Alyssa (above) and Alora (below) bring such joy to our lives. Sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart, especially since Randi just can’t resist dressing them alike and doing their hair the same. Luckily, they’re very different facially, so I can usually distinguish between them. Alyssa has my eyes, but her facial structure is more like Randi’s, whereas Alora has Randi’s eyes, and her facial structure is more like mine.
Alora is more outgoing, and always wants to be in the thick of things. She doesn’t like to sleep, probably because she feels like she’ll miss something. It can be a struggle to get her down for the night.
Alyssa seems to enjoy playing by herself more than anything. She gets annoyed if Alora tries to play with her, and has trouble sharing.
She’s not the only one having trouble! Andrew is always asking to follow his friends home from school instead of coming straight home. Randi says it’s healthy for him to have friends, but I don’t like the way he acts when he gets back. He’s always talking about how nice everyone else’s houses are copared to ours, and I heard him complaining to Randi the other day because we don’t have a TV and a computer. No way will those implements of death ever be in my house! I’ve seen what harm they can cause, Journal, and it’s not going to happen to anyone I love!
Dear Journal,
Randi was finally able to go back to work this year. She misses the kids, but she’s so excited to be able to help bring in some income.
It was because of the bonuses she’s been getting that we were able to expand the house again, and buy Avery his own bed, finally!
It’s a good thing, too, because he was definitely getting way too big to be sharing a bed with his parents. As soon as he got old enough to decide for himself how to keep his hair, he started growing it out. He also grew a tiny little beard–he calls it a “soulpatch”–and I have to admit, Journal, I’m a little bit jealous. I never shave, and yet, I have no facial hair. Apparently, I’m unable to grow any.
Avery and I are still best buddies, though, and I don’t let my soulpatch-envy get in the way of that. He really enjoys helping me with the plants, and has expressed an interest in botany and science. I know he’ll do great things.
Aaron, on the other hand, prefers to laze about on the couch all day, reading. Don’t get me wrong, reading is great! All my kids are avid readers, but when you let it get in the way of schoolwork, it can be a bad thing. We’ve had to enforce a “homework first” rule with him. Most of the other kids do their homework without being asked, but not Aaron.
Dear Journal,
I can’t believe Randi and I are the parents of three teenaged boys, already! Not to mention how big Alyssa and Alora are getting. Like my plants, my kids are growing strong.
Andrew and Aaron have teamed up against me in the fight for a TV, but I’m not giving in. I tell them there are better things they can do with their time. I don’t want to tell them the real reason: that I’m too scared to have one around my family. Randi knows, though, and even if she doesn’t understand why, she silently supports my stance, and refuses to listen to the boys’ pleadings.
“Your father said no, and that’s that,” she’ll say.
Alyssa and Alora are gorgeous young ladies, each with their own interests. For twins, they couldn’t really be more different.
Alora is very artistic, and she begged and begged for an easel. I was happy to oblige her for her latest birthday.
Alyssa’s birthday wish was a little harder. Telescopes are expensive! But Randi managed to find a used one at the consignment shop, so both my little princesses were able to obtain their hearts’ desires.
But the best news, Journal? Randi and I are going to have another baby! It came as a bit of a surprise, but definitely a happy one. I can’t wait to meet the newest member of our family.
Dear Journal,
Well, I’ve let time slip away from me again. I guess Randi and I got out of practice with newborns, since Alora and Alyssa are so much older than our new little girl, Alaina.
Or maybe it’s just because we’re older now. Anyway, after Alaina was born, I rarely had the energy to keep up with the garden, let alone with you, Journal.
Alaina is already two, and everyone in the family loves her.
Alora and Alyssa have joined the boys in high school, all except Avery, who has graduated and begun work at the Science Center. His paychecks really help out here at home.
That was the reason we were able to build onto our home, again. Randi and I finally have a proper bedroom, now. It’s great to have some privacy, even though we still share the room with Alaina.
I’d like to replace some of our appliances, soon. The toilet breaks on almost a daily basis, but I’ve gotten pretty good at fixing it, at least.
As it is, we spent most of our savings on a new sprinkler system for the plants. They cut my gardening time in half, and keep everything nice and healthy.
The plants aren’t the only ones who love the new sprinklers. Aside from Andrew and Alyssa, who don’t really enjoy outdoor activities, most of the family can often be found out in the garden, playing in the water.
Dear Journal,
Well, my last baby started school today. I can’t believe Alaina’s in Kindergarten already! I feel old, which is amazing, considering I wasn’t ever really young, unless you count mentally. And mentally, I’m still a young man.
Andrew and Alyssa have been spending a lot of time together lately. They seem to be like-minded, and get along pretty well.
They both have a weird infatuation with talking to themselves in the mirror. It seems unhealthy to me, but I let them be.
Still, their newfound friendship has caused problems between Aaron and Andrew. Aaron is Andrew’s twin, and feels left out when his brother talks more to Alyssa than to him. Luckily, Andrew’s pretty good at diffusing Aaron’s anger. Alora, unlike Aaron, gets along with everyone, and isn’t the jealous type.
Although some of us have our differences, I couldn’t be prouder of my family. As a soulless creature, I never imagined what it would be like to want to be surrounded by children–or even to have children, as imps cannot–and happiness was just another human word to me. Now, I wouldn’t change anything for the world.
Posted in Generation 1 - Jacob
Dear Diary,
This is my very first entry in you! My beautiful wife, Randi, gave you to me as a wedding gift. We got married yesterday. I can’t believe how lucky I am to be with a woman like her!
The wedding itself was small and intimate, with only our closest friends present. Our vows were just as simple, but no less heart-felt for that.
“I promise to love and honor you, all the days of my life. I promise to stand with you in times of hardship, and laugh with you in times of joy. Never again will you feel alone, for I will always be near.”
We held the ceremony in Randi’s front yard, which then became my front yard, as well! It feels amazing to have a home that doesn’t consist of a park bench. And, though I was nervous, I managed to suck it up and perform my “husbandly duty” on our wedding night.
What the heck was I worried about? That was amazing! From now on, diary, I will never pass up an opportunity be be a dutiful husband. *wink*
Dear Journal,
Randi tells me it’s more “manly” to refer to you as my journal rather than my diary, so Journal you are!
I managed to sucessfully move most of my plants over from the park, yesterday. They were all pretty strong and healthy, and I didn’t lose many. In fact, I planted a few more! It’s so much easier to concentrate on them when I don’t have to worry where my next meal is coming from, or whether or not I’ll have a warm place to sleep.
Randi’s tummy is getting bigger by the day. I never imagined how amazing it would be to witness a life growing inside another life. And even though I didn’t help make this new life, I will be the one who helps to raise it. If that doesn’t make me this baby’s father, I don’t know what does.
Dear Journal,
My garden is doing so well that, even though Randi has been on maternity leave, we were able to build an addition on the house for the baby’s nursery!
We’re both excited, and nervous. Her due date is fast approaching, and actually making a space for the baby makes it so much more real that we’ll soon be a family of three!
I try to do things to help out around the house, so Randi doesn’t have to be on her feet as much. It must be hard to be pregnant; as soon as she got over being sick all the time, she started getting heartburn regularly. Then, her feet started swelling up, and the baby took up so much room in her tummy that it made it hard for her to breathe.
So, I tried to take over some of the cooking. But Journal, I’m still as horrible at it as I ever was. I didn’t think it tasted too bad, actually, but Randi couldn’t eat it. She said it made her stomach upset just looking at it. Well, I’ll try and do better next time.
Although things are going fine with Randi’s pregnancy, I find myself remembering why I am lucky enough to be in this human form, married, and happy. The curse of another pregnant woman–a woman I had wronged–turned out to be a blessing in disguise. As an imp, I would never have been able to achieve happiness. I often wonder about the woman I widowed, and the child she carried. I hope they’re doing okay, and that she has found love again, though I guess I’ll never know for sure. I feel immense guilt over what happened that day, and I think that, even if it meant never being able to experience life with Randi, I would take it all back if I could.
Dear Journal,
Sorry I haven’t written in a while; we’ve been busy! Taking care of a newborn is serious work.
That’s right, our son Avery was born last month. His is amazing! Everything he experiences is new to him. I can relate more than most people, I think. I remember those first few days of being human, trying to grow accustomed to all the crazy sensations and emotions.
I think it’s helped us to bond. We’re best buds, Avery and I! I love taking care of him. It’s a good thing, too, because Randi’s due to start work again in a few more weeks, and then it’ll be just Avery and me all day long.
Since we’ll soon have less time to spend together, Randi and I make sure to take advantage of those times when Avery’s out like a light and we’re not too exhausted to do anything other than join him in dreamland.
Dear Journal,
Well, it seems Randi won’t be going back to work as soon as we thought. She’s been feeling out of sorts lately, so she took a test. She’s pregnant again!
Oops. I think Randi’s a little disappointed that she didn’t get to go back to work and help bring in some money–things are really tight right now–but I’m actually really excited. Avery’s just so much fun, and I don’t think having another baby would be any less amazing.
Dear Journal,
Well, I was part right. Having two babies would be just as amazing as having one…but we ended up with twins!
Now that we have three little ones, sleep is our most valued commodity, though money is second on the list. I’ve been struggling to keep up the garden as well as help take care of Avery, Andrew, and Aaron. But I wouldn’t change anything! Our boys are so different from each other, and yet so similar. It’s fun to watch them learn new things every day.
We had to build another room just to hold them all, which took all our savings, but I know things will be okay. My plants are growing strong, and the produce keeps getting bigger, juicier, and more vibrant with each harvest. Randi even started helping me with them when she was pregnant with the boys, during Avery’s naps.
Avery turned one just before Andrew and Aaron were born. He looks a lot like his mama, but I can see that there are parts of him (like his eyes) that belong to someone else–that unnamed person who will always be his father, but never his daddy.
Dear Journal,
Well, it happened again. Just before Randi’s maternity leave was supposed to end, I went and got her pregnant again. I swear, she’s never going to let me touch her, after this!
Especially since we had yet another set of twins! Our beautiful girls, Alora and Alyssa. Our little house is pretty crowded, but it’s also full of love.
Andrew (above) and Aaron (below) are toddlers now, and into everything. The only things that would keep them occupied were their shape-sorter and xylophone toys. Those things saved our sanity many times!
It also helped when Avery started getting old enough to do things for himself. We’re so proud of our oldest little man! He’s even expressed an interest in my garden, so I have started to teach him everything I know about plants (which is considerable, these days).
I have such an amazing family. I really am a lucky man, Journal!
Posted in Generation 1 - Jacob
I ran all the way back “home,” back to my little park bench and garden. My heart was pounding fast and hard, and the heavy suit was making me sweat, but I had felt so anxious and confined within the situation at Randi’s house; it felt good to be home, somewhere that felt familiar and safe.
I weeded the plants to help calm me down. I didn’t even care that I was still in my suit, until I remembered I had left my regular clothes hidden down at the gym, where I had showered and changed before dinner. I really needed a house soon.
After I had relaxed a bit, I began to feel badly about the way I had reacted towards Randi that evening. We’d been dating quite a while, by society’s terms, and I must have completely taken her by surprise when I freaked out like I did. I felt embarrassed, and I really, really didn’t want to tell her the reason behind my actions. ‘Oh, hi Randi…I’m sorry I ran out on you when you tried to take our relationship to the next level. It’s just, I used to be a soulless demon with no equipment, and I have no idea how to use my human body that way.’
Yeah, that wouldn’t go over well.
So, what to do? If I apologize, she might ask questions. But if I don’t, she might never talk to me again. I’ll give it some time, I thought. A week, maybe two. Maybe by then she’ll be able to laugh it off and we can go back to the way things were.
____________________________________________________________
Two weeks quickly turned into two months, as I focused on my garden, and chickened out every time I thought about calling Randi. I kept telling myself, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” but that tomorrow came and I’d put it off to the next day. By the time I realized how long it had been, I was really missing her. I ached to see her again, but how would she feel about me now that we hadn’t talked in so long?
Finally, the day came when I couldn’t take it anymore. I forced my feet to walk in the direction of Randi’s house, and then forced my hand to form a fist with which to knock on her door. She didn’t answer, but the door was unlocked. Great, I thought. I finally get up the nerve to come talk to her, and she’s not home.
Then the idea came to me that this might work out even better–I could make her some delicious lunch (at least, I hoped it would turn out delicious), and then she’d be more likely to forgive me. I found some nice veggies in the fridge, and set about making a salad. Before I’d even finished slicing the tomatoes, though, the front door opened to admit Randi.
“Hi,” I said, but before I could get anything else out, Randi burst into tears. I hadn’t been expecting that reaction, and I was quite perplexed, but as she came to me, I gathered her into an embrace and held her while her tears dripped onto my shirt.
“Oh, Jacob, why are you here now? Why didn’t you come back sooner?” she sobbed.
“I…don’t know. I guess I was too embarrassed and afraid of what you’d think of me. I’m sorry, Randi.” I couldn’t tell if she was mad at me for coming back, or sad about something else. I forged on, “I’ve wanted to apologize since that night, but I just couldn’t make myself do it until today. I wasn’t…ready…to take that step that night, but I reacted badly. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She sniffled and looked up at me. “Jacob, when you ran out like that, I….I thought you didn’t have the same feelings for me that I had for you. I was devastated.” Her face fell, and a fresh tear leaked out. I thought I had never felt so bad in my entire short human life, for causing her pain.
“Randi, I–” I began, but she cut me off.
“Just, let me finish okay? This is hard enough to say without you interrupting.”
I nodded, and she went on.
“I was thrown off balance when you left, and I hadn’t heard from you. I was vulnerable, and I let a guy from work…take advantage of me.” Her face turned into a mask of anger. “Afterwards, he told me he was married, as if it was no big deal. He used me, and then left. Jacob, I just got back from the hospital….I’m pregnant.” She lifted her chin, as if she was ready for me to say whatever I would to her, and she wouldn’t take it sitting down, but another tear betrayed her.
As for me, I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. Why did this hurt so much? I was the one who’d left, and hadn’t said a word since. Still, part of me was so angry at her for running to the first man she came across. I’m not very good at hiding my emotions, and I’m sure they were playing across my face as I considered the situation.
Eventually, though, my mind came back around to the heart of the matter–I had realized in these last few weeks without her that I must be in love with Randi. No other emotion would cause me to feel the way I did. I was amazed, in a way, that I could experience love at all. It had always been the one emotion I was most jealous of, as an imp. Now that I had it, I couldn’t just throw it away.
I took Randi’s hand in my own. “This is as much my fault as anything. I’m sorry I put you in a situation where something like this could happen to you. Now that it’s happened, though, I hope you’ll give me the chance to make it right. I love you, Randi. Will you marry me?”
Fresh tears began to fall as she kissed me, whispering “yes” over and over. I found my own eyes were leaking as well. They stung, but somehow it was a good pain. And as we kissed, I felt a breeze blow through my hair, somehow, though we were inside. I felt the breeze, and a voice whispered:
…an honorable and selfless act for another person…happiness is yours…
Posted in Generation 1 - Jacob
I didn’t linger long after getting directions from Gena. She was friendly, but she struck me as a little…odd. She kept asking me for things, like food or spare change. I don’t remember that being part of normal human behavior. Still, she was enjoyable to talk to, and I found myself saying we should talk again sometime as I headed upstairs to search for that gardening book.
Having reached the second floor, however, I discovered Gena must be a little more clueless than I thought. Not only was there no gardening section by the upstairs bathroom, there was no upstairs bathroom. I looked around a bit more before becoming frustrated, and decided I’d try again another day.
After a morning full of digging in the dirt, I was none too clean, and for some reason, I was bothered by that fact. My skin started to get itchy, and I noticed a very pungent smell which I soon realized was coming from my own body. I think Gena must have noticed it too, because during our conversation, she had slipped in mention of free showers down at the community gym. After the misinformation she had given me at the library, I wasn’t too sure I trusted her word, but upon arriving at the gym, I found the bathrooms–and the showers–right away.
Feeling much nicer as I stepped from the steamy shower room, I was surprised to see Gena working out on one of the exercise machines. “Hey, Gena,” I called, walking up to say hello. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”
She rose from the machine as I approached, and it was then I realized it wasn’t Gena at all! “Oh, excuse me,” I said. “I thought you were someone else.” My cheeks grew hot, and yet another new emotion assailed my senses: embarrassment.
“Don’t worry about it. I get that a lot. Gena’s my sister, and we look a lot alike.”
“Yes, you do,” I confirmed, and stuck my hand out. “I’m sorry for the confusion. I’m Jacob.”
She shook it, and introduced herself as Kelly Barker, and we spoke for a few moments before she went back to her workout and I went back to my park bench. I felt strangely reassured after having met a few people–like I wasn’t as alone as I had been before.
________________________________________________________________
I had managed to sell a few of the fruits I had picked from the community garden, so the next morning I treated myself to some hot dogs from the local market.
Unfortunately, my grilling skills left much to be desired, but I discovered hot dogs don’t taste too bad when they’re a little black. My meal completed, I pulled a few weeds from around my budding plants, then headed toward town. If I couldn’t find a gardening book at the library, perhaps the bookstore would have one.
Half an hour later, I sat outside the bookstore, dejected.
“Didn’t have the book you were looking for?” Someone said, and it took me a moment to realize the person was talking to me.
“Huh?” I said.
“You look disappointed,” said the woman with pretty green eyes. “Did the bookstore not have the book you wanted?”
“Oh. No, it did, but I didn’t have enough money for it. And the dumb owner wouldn’t let me read it unless I paid for it,” I added, and stuck out my bottom lip in frustration.
The woman laughed, but it was a kind laugh. “Yeah, Mugs is a sour old guy. But, I guess everyone’s gotta earn a living, right? He wouldn’t make much money if he let everyone read the books without buying them.”
She had a point, I thought grudgingly. “….I guess that’s true.”
“I’m Randi,” the woman said. I introduced myself–my new name was coming easier to my tongue each time I said it–and then Randi said, “I’ll make you a deal, Jacob.” She had a quirky little smile on her face, and I raised an eyebrow questioningly.
“I started a new job recently, and I just got my first paycheck today. Now, this money’s burning a hole in my pocket, and I have no one to share it with. I’ll buy you that book you want, if you’ll come out to dinner with me to celebrate.”
My face lit up in a genuine smile. “You got a deal!”
________________________________________________________________
Sleeping on the cold, hard park bench grew more and more difficult as the weeks, then months, passed. My body began to ache, and it took lots of stretching and rubbing in the morning in order to get it to loosen up. I hoped I would be able to find a home soon. I wasn’t sure I could take much more bench-sleeping.
My spirits were lifted when I harvested my first produce and sold the whole lot at the market. I made a tidy sum, and it had all been through my own hard work. It felt really good.
I had been to see Kelly and Gena a few times during those first few weeks – they were both single mothers, and they lived together for support and financial reasons. It felt good to have a couple of friends, and I really loved playing with their kids. Gena had a baby daughter, and Kelly had a baby son. Neither of the women ever talked about the babies’ fathers, and though I was curious, I sensed that it was a sensitive subject, so I kept my mouth shut.
Though I felt close to Gena and Kelly, my relationship with Randi was something else again. After that first night, she insisted on taking me out to eat every payday. We’d eat and talk, and she’d even play tag with me until late in the evening. There was something so exhilirating about running as fast as you could, and chasing–and being chased by–someone else. The games would leave us laughing and winded. “I always have so much fun with you, Jacob,” Randi told me one evening, and I felt like my face was on fire all the way up to my ears. Randi stirred something inside me that I wasn’t familiar with, and I didn’t really understand what to do with those feelings.
But I did know that I felt bad to have her buying me dinner all the time, so the night I made my first profit, I took her out, instead. I even dressed up real nice and took her to the fancy restaurant. Randi looked amazing in her dress, and as we finished up dessert, she asked if I would like to come back to her house. I’d never been there, and I wasn’t in any hurry to get back to my cold bench, so I agreed.
It was a cute little home, with a studio layout, and the inside was warm and cozy. After weeks of sleeping out in the open, the bed looked so soft and comfortable that I almost drooled with longing.
Randi touched my shoulder, and I turned around to face her, with a smile. “Your home is lovely,” I said.
“Thank you. You know, Jacob, these past few months have been some of the most enjoyable of my life, and you’re a big part of the reason.” She looked at me, a little shyly, then moved in closer.
Her eyes sparkled. “I’ve gotten to know you, I think, pretty well, but I’d like to get to know you even better….” With that, she wrapped her arms around my neck and brought my lips down to her own, kissing me thoroughly. Sensations exploded over my whole body. I got goosebumps, but I felt hot instead of cold. And then I felt…a stirring…in a very private place. I gasped, and looked down in panic. Randi didn’t notice, because she had left me to stand beside the bed. She patted the blankets invitingly, lifting an eyebrow.
It was too much for me. I didn’t know how to do this! Imps are anatomically unequipped, and I had only just become used to having…one of those…in the first place. I’d watched the act before, in secret, as I was prone to do when I was a Gnish, but performing in that arena is a whole different matter.
“I…I’m sorry…” I stuttered.
And then I turned tail and ran out the door.
Posted in Generation 1 - Jacob
Those first few weeks as a mortal were a difficult period of adjustment, but I’d say the first 24 hours was the hardest. The house of the young couple had been in a town called Riverview, and the place in which I found myself looked nothing like that town.
I spent my first hours exploring, and trying to figure out what to do. I had noticed a few things about myself were different than before. Upon seeing my reflection in a puddle, my eyes shone back–bright pink irises surrounded by white. Gone was the inky black of my impish origin.
Other physical changes were apparent, as well. The heartbeat, for one. Also, as I hiked all over this new town, I began to feel the effects of exertion. I got hot, and my skin was moist with sweat. Then, when I stopped for a moment to rest in the park, the night’s cool breeze blew over me, and the dampness of my skin cooled my body so much that I felt cold. How inconvenient human bodies were! How do they ever concentrate with all these things going on?
I grimaced as I felt yet another new sensation. My stomach growled, and began to hurt. Did the witch (I had decided she must have been a witch) manage to poison me as well as curse me? The pain was excruciating! Surely, I must be dying.
Then, my eyes caught sight of a plump red tomato hanging lusciously from a plant at the local garden, and my stomach grumbled even louder. I looked from the tomato to my stomach as it dawned on me – I must be hungry! Looking around, I didn’t spy anyone in the area, but as I reached out to pick a tomato, I hesitated. Was this my tomato? Did I have the right to take it?
These thoughts were new to me. I could remember, before the change, that when I wanted something I took it. Had I developed what humans call…a conscience? If so, than that, too, was very inconvenient. Still, I just couldn’t bring myself to pick the tomato until, upon further inspection of the garden, I found a small, hand-painted sign which read “Neverglade Public Garden.” Ah, so I was in a town called Neverglade, and public garden meant shared by all town residents. I wasn’t technically a resident, but this was as good a place to settle down as any.
Vowing to become an official Neverglade resident at my first opportunity, I hungrily plucked the fruit from the vine. As hungry as I was, I couldn’t help but savor the smell and taste as I bit into the ripe tomato. I even laughed when the juices squirted into my eye.
A thought occured to me: If I was planning to make a home for myself here, I’d need a source of income. Humans worked in order to get money in order to pay for a place to live. This much I knew from my observation of them. I looked again at the garden. I could do this, I thought. Just need a little dirt somewhere, some seeds, some water, and the sun. Nothing to it! Along with the tomato, the public garden also had lettuce and grapes growing. I took one or two of each; enough to begin my own garden. Now, to find a bit of earth.
I wandered around for hours, and it had gotten quite late, when I found a tiny abandoned park cradled between two hills. No one was around, but there was a nice bench, and even a table and chairs. Suddenly, I didn’t feel like I could take another step. The bench looked so comfortable, and I was so tired…
I fell fast and deeply asleep.
I awoke a few hours later. It looked like it would be dawn soon. Surveying the park, in the near-dawn light, it seemed the perfect place to begin work on my little garden. It was small, and semi-hidden away, and it had everything I would need for a home base until I could afford a house. I chose a spot behind some bushes, and used my hands to till a patch of soil before carefully planting the seeds I had collected. It wasn’t much, but it was a start, and for some reason, it gave me more pleasure than I had ever felt terrorizing humans as an imp.
As I examined my handiwork, I wondered…had I done everything right? Was I doing everything I could to make sure my little plants grew up healthy and strong? I’d never done this before, after all. I wondered if the town library had any books about gardening. I was hungry again, but I did my best to ignore it as I began walking towards town.
Neverglade’s library was large and grand, with multiple floors, and fancy looking statues. I looked through shelf after shelf, and began to get frustrated when I didn’t see a single book about gardening. It would take all day to check all the shelves, so I looked around helplessly, hoping to lay eyes on someone who seemed to know his or her way around the library.
My eyes locked with the enchanting green eyes of a blonde woman in a pink jacket. She saw me looking at her, and gave me a friendly smile. Taking that as a good sign, I strode over to her. “Hi,” I said shyly. “Do…do you happen to know where I can find a book about gardening?”
“I think all the how-to books are upstairs, beside the bathrooms,” she replied.
“Oh, thank you so much!” I exclaimed, excited to have a direction in mind.
“Sure. Do you have any food on you?”
“Uh..” I searched my pockets helplessly. “No, sorry.”
“That’s okay, I’m just a little nibbly. I’m Gena Echo,” she said, shaking my hand. “What’s your name?”
“My name?”
“Yeah. You know, the thing someone says when they want to get your attention? I’m sure your parents must have given you one.” She grinned and winked at me. Oh, boy, I hadn’t even thought about that. Gnishes don’t have names. I floundered, and Gena looked at me like I was crazy. Finally, I blurted the first name I could think of. “I’m Jacob.”
“Nice to meet you, Jacob….?” She seemed to want more. Of course! A last name. I thought back to the curse that had formed me into what I was now, and it came to me.
“Honor. I’m Jacob Honor.”
Posted in Generation 1 - Jacob
Have you ever done something so horrible that it altered the course of your entire life?
I have.
You see, I’m not just some “regular Joe.” I wasn’t born in Neverglade, where I now reside. In fact, I wasn’t born at all.
I was created a soulless being. An imp who hungered for mischief; who preyed on the fears and misfortune of mankind. I was a Gnish. The world was my plaything.
Until the day that changed everything.
I had been picking on a particular family—a young couple. They were clearly very much in love…and very naïve, as many young people are. They were expecting their first child. I envied their happiness, as happiness was an emotion I was unable to experience. So, I set to work making their lives a hardship.
I broke every appliance in their home, one after the other. It pleased me to see the young man come home from an exhausting day at work, only to find he’d have to repair the sink before bed. Or the shower, or the dishwasher. Soon enough, I’d grow tired of this family. But not yet.
That day, I’d sent the TV on the fritz, and squealed with glee when the woman sighed in frustration while I watched from the window. She turned in my direction, but I didn’t move. Humans couldn’t see Gnishes. She could like right at me, and never see a thing. Except…she had a funny look in her eye. She shook her head and went to take a nap.
I waited for evening, when the man would come home.
As I suspected, he set to work on the TV as soon as he’d had dinner. But this would be no easy repair. Before my eyes, and the eyes of his young love, electricity began to shoot through the man’s body. After it was over, he lay unmoving on the floor.
“Noooooo!” The woman screamed; a long, heartbroken keening. Then, she turned and looked right at me.
“You! This is your fault, Demon! I knew I sensed you earlier. You’ll pay for this!” With that, I heard a sound like wind rushing through trees. The woman’s eyes glazed over, and became empty. If I’d had a heart at the time, it would have been pounding with fear. I could almost feel the earth bending to her will.
“I place this curse upon you, soulless, that you will no longer roam the earth freely, but instead become bound to the planes of mortality. That you will own a soul, and age as humans age. That you will ever search for happiness and contentment, but that you will never find it, unless you perform an honorable and selfless act for another person. This curse I cast upon you, and your marked descendants!”
The wind whipped into a frenzy, and my chest felt tight. And then the wind carried me on its wings, and dashed me into the ground, far away from the woman, and what had once been her happy home.
Everything went black, and I knew no more.
When I awoke, after who knows how many hours, I felt distinctly different than I ever had before. I breathed, for one thing, and I heard an odd thumping in my head that I couldn’t place until I realized…It was a heartbeat. My heartbeat.
I was mortal.
Posted in Generation 1 - Jacob
Honor Through the Ages 
