4.17 Closure

The golden years were certainly golden for Zahra and Fabian. They had never been so relaxed together.

 

When Zahra suddenly sat down at the chess table while Fabian was practicing and challenged him to game, the significance was not lost on Fabian. Zahra had been a ranked chess player in her youth, but somehow she’d never wanted to play with him. She only caught the occasional game with Charles.

Then one night Zahra’s eyes flickered open in the wee hours. She slipped out of bed and found her way down to he sitting room, knowing what she would find.

This moment that she had longed for so long was somehow awkward. She cleared her throat. “Excuse me?”

 

Cyclone looked up. His ghostly face was unreadable. Slowly he closed the book and stood. Zahra’s breath caught.

“Hello!” he said cheerfully. His hollow voice echoed through the house. “I’m Cyclone Sword. This must be your place I’m haunting.”

Zahra felt a sob well in her throat. She forced it down. She was a scientist. Whatever her youthful fantasies, she’d known for a long time what to expect.

Still, her voice quavered as she said, “Sample. You took my name when we were married and became Cyclone Sample. Can you possibly remember?”

He stared at her for a long time. “I knew you, didn’t I? You’re the reason I haunt this house.”

“Yes!” Zahra breathed. “We were married. Your son is all grown up now. You’re about to be a grandfather!”

“Whoa,” Cyclone said. “That’s a lot to dump on a fellow all at once.”

“I know that only part of you projects from the Netherworld, but is our entire life together erased? Can you remember any of it?”

“I,” Cyclone said, then stopped. “I held Charles in my arms. I taught him to read. But, wait, I held you in my arms and taught you to read. It’s so confusing!”

Zahra’s heart lept. “It was a pretty strange romance,” she admitted. “But yes, both of those things are true.”

“I’m going to be a grandfather,” Cyclone said. “Wow.”

“Why did you come back to me now?” Zahra asked. “Why when I’m an old woman?”

Cyclone chuckled. “Something tells me that this is a very funny thing to say. I was an old man when I met you. Older. I was already dead, wasn’t I?”

“Yes,” Zahra admitted. “I said our love was strange.”

She knew better than to ask, but still she heard herself say the words she had rehearsed so many times as a young woman. “I know that the Netherworld is far off, and you are only part of yourself, but… is there any chance you love me still?”

“My lady,” Cyclone said. “I am dead. I can’t describe it. We will have to talk about all this when you get here. But if our love was true then, there is something now.”

Then he stiffened. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

And he was gone, leaving Zahra alone with her thoughts.

Fabian let her sleep in the next morning so long that she was late for work. “Why didn’t you wake me?” she demanded as she rushed about getting ready.

“I woke up last night and you weren’t there,” Fabian said. “I figured you’d need the extra rest.”

Zahra pulled Fabian into her arms and hugged him fiercely. “Things are going to be complicated when we pass on,” she said. “But I wouldn’t change anything.”

“I know,” Fabian said. “It’s what I signed on for when I fell in love with you.”

“Thank you, my love,” Zahra whispered. “For everything.”

———-

At last! Cyclone is manifesting like a normal ghost! And I have complete set of legacy ghosts. Maybe that won’t be so cool a few generations down the line, but now it’s awesome!

It is midnight, and I so shouldn’t be taking the time to write this, but I’ve so missed the Samples.

Oh, yeah, and I have no particular reason to highlight this in the story right now, but Zahra and Fabian have been little bunnies since they became elders. One of them always has the wish to Woohoo or romance the other. It’s so sweet.

10 thoughts on “4.17 Closure

  1. Oh,wow. This chapter was really touching! Zahra and Cyclon finally meeting again is probably just what she needed. Your title for the chapter is so perfect – now she may be able to enjoy her life with Fabian even more.
    By the way, your writing of what Cyclon said gave me goosebumps. It was sad and incredibly moving!

  2. Thanks so much!

    I have to say that one reason I have posted in a bit, other than moving stress — which is a lot! I'm sure you understand — is that the pictures for this post was next in my queue, and I had to spend a lot of time thing about what they would say to each other! I'm really happy with the way it came out.

  3. Hell,yes. I know exactly what you mean and how much that stress can be. To be honest, I didn't even expect a new chapter of yours, because there is so much going on with your hous(es) and your little girl and everything.

    This chapter you created here is probably one of my favourites of your entire Legacy. It's just beautiful and shows that you really care about the story and the characters. 🙂

  4. Oh! That was so sweet! I'm glad that Zahra finally got her closure. She and Cyclone have had quite a complicated relationship.

    I love how cute Fabian and Zahra are together in their old age.

  5. So true! Reading your stories and checking for updates has become one of the first things I do in the morning. It's so nice to see the characters grow and develop,then create a new generation and pass on the torch. So exciting 🙂

  6. Aww! Zahra and Cycl0n3!!!! 🙂

    I'm sorry Fabian- I don't love you. I've tried, I really have, but I just don't love him and Zahra…. Oh well! I am glad that she's happily married… sort of. Fabian just doesn't compare to Cycl0n3, though, and just can't convince myself that she's as in love with him as she was with Cycl0n3…

    Lol, they're just sims, I'm not sure why I care. Well I don't dislike Fabian, I just don't like him with Zahra- but that's okay. As long as they (and you) are happy, that's all that matters. 🙂

  7. Fabian's turned out to be really flawed, but I think he really tries. And Zahra is pretty flawed too; she really does have no social skills. I'm really glad that Cycl0n3 finally manifest as a normal ghost. That really gave their story some arc.

    I'm so fond of Cycl0n3 these days that I'd've probably had Susie try harder to win him over when he was alive. The way it turned out was pretty awesome IMHO.

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