He was real. He was real and she was real and here they were, in a real world with real warmth and real…real…
Alone!
Hahahahahaha!
He was real.
But she wasn’t very sure if she was anymore.
“Lilith?”
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
She held on to him. In the midst of the darkness and the flames he was real and he cared about her. He did. She knew he did.
His hand was warm and soft and dry. And suddenly it was the most important thing in the world.
Fire. The light of the fire is the shadow of death. The fire comes for us all.
She would forever be haunted by the smell of smoke.
“Lilith?”
He smelled like freshly cut grass. She’d never noticed that before.
She’d also never noticed how his hair fell over his ears, or how his eyes were so blue, or how wonderfully warm he was.
She spoke softly, not wanting to disturb this new feeling.
“You never answered my question.”
“You never answered mine first.”
“So, are you going to tell me why I am helping you escape from a murder charge?”
She didn’t want to think about that right now.
“It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
She swallowed hard and started to talk, her voice wavering.
“Remember, remember how I had a big story to work on? The night before Shannon…”
She stopped.
She swallowed again and went on with her story, wanting now to get it out. To get it all out and away from her.
“And you said that you saw a man in a blue sweater on the tape?”
“I see him. I see him in my mind.”
“The story was about him and…and Mr. Sekemoto said that Bella would know more.”
“She told me a story about his daughter. And how he…”
“…he killed his wife.”
“And it got late and I stayed there last night and then…then Bella….”
She looked up through the film of tears that had gathered in her eyes.
His hands were warm and gentle on her face, and she thought she might die.
Seth and all his ghosts faded away, and Jason filled the entire world.
“It’s getting pretty late. We should go.”
She didn’t want to go. She wanted to stay here, in his circle of light and warmth and…love.
She whispered the word to herself in her mind.
“Hey, look, it’ll be all right. I’m going to go get some stuff and then we’ll leave. I think I know somewhere we can go.”
She watched him walk away, feeling very happy and safe and warm.
Very very warm.
Maybe a bit too warm.
“JASON!”
In the Valley of the Sun 
Oh, groovy! I just finished PMing you but never mind that now. I had a very, very wrong theory about who Lilith might be gettin’ her sexy times with. LOLzers.
Anyway, wow. They seriously need to be running right now and I mean running out of town, not running for the bed. But I found Lilith’s physical distraction to be delightfully creepy under the circumstances. I am glad Jason still has his wits about him!
You got some really nice love scene shots here. Good use of angles. And I enjoyed seeing some of my fave pics from past updates used as mental images.
Kudos on another great update!
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Yay first comment!
I kind of did want to let them woohoo, like I said in my PM. I may in game just for my own…err…yeah.
I’d love to write this scene from Jason’s POV at some point. I was kind of doing it in my head anyway. So yummy.
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HAH!
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I love your pictures. They make me so jealous. I may have to think about upgrading my graphics card (and mine’s only two years old!).
The chapter is awesome! I love how you mix the visions with what’s going on in the present… and all the fire when Jason holds her! Shivering imagery.
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I do like my 8800. 🙂 Plus, all the pics get a screen layer and an unsharp mask now.
Thank you. 🙂 This is an imagery-heavy one, yes. Lilith is very visually minded, lol.
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Jason is starting to annoy me now haha.
Anyways, very romantic entry.
Just wondering, how do you get your name to link to your blog?
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I have it set in my WordPress profile as my site and in my contact info.
How does Jason annoy you?
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Not sure haha. I think its the fact that he stayed with Lilith and loves her so much. It makes me go “AWWWW” and “that is one really weird guy.” at the same time. I guess he’s annoying in an awesome way?
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LOL! 🙂 Jason is special, yes. But I rather like him now, much more than I did first. Which means that I actually didn’t like Seth for a few hours today. But then I thought about the story more and the metaphors and symbolism and saw Seth for what he is really and liked him again.
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wow, very interesting. once again surprising! can’t wait for the next post!
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Thank you. 🙂 Although the story doesn’t seem very surprising to me – as I go on its structure and themes and what has to happen are becoming clear.
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I hope she is NOT on fire, despite what seems to be going on in the last panel. Love the chapters, I never know what is going to happen.
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That is a recent addition since I got home from work. I’ve been frantic ever since I realized that the ending needed it. It’s been WRONG all day, and people have been LOOKing at it being WRONG. It’s awful and made me all nervous and upset.
I know most of what’s going to happen in the next three updates, but after that is still pretty unclear. But that’s how it goes – the story tells me what it wants.
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Ah geez… I am so jealous of your pictures. The pictures of Jason and Lilith are beautiful and emotionally evocative. I love the picture where she’s looking after Jason after he’s gone upstairs (the one that goes with “Very very warm”) because her expression is perfect: she is happy, but there is still fear in her eyes. She’s still on edge, even though she feels safer than she’s felt in a while. Wonderful chapter–though I really, really am worried about poor Jason.
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Thank you! 🙂 I was editing those pics last night while we had guests and the idea of them looking over and seeing what I was working on made me feel a little weird. Like no, I’m not writing NC17 Sims stuff!
I do really appreciate your comments – they’re always insightful and intelligent. But that’s because you rock, and it shows in your story as well.
And well – I don’t want to post spoilers so I won’t say anything about poor Jason. 😉
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Aww shucks…*blush* Thanks! You’re pretty brave working on those pictures with guests in viewing distance. But if they were readers of your story, then they’d totally get it and they would be excited to get a sneak peek. 🙂
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Oh gosh, I hate playing Sims in front of people. I get so self-conscious. XP
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O.M.G!!
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Hey, how are you doing?
And yes, I think adding that last picture was a good idea. 😉 Pity so many people saw it before that though. That’s what I get for rushing out an update during lunch.
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WOW.
This whole story has left me amazed. How you came up with the idea, the quality of the pictures, the somewhat straightforward but also somewhat mysterious text. It’s always had a fantasy/mystery feel, like both genres blending perfectly.
Again, WOW.
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Thank you. I must say that your comment has left me amazed. 🙂
My husband the scifi buff says that the proper genre term is “slipstream”. Which I actually hadn’t heard before, so hey.
Looking over this update again, I am quite happy with most of it. Except the Seth thing. But then he does have a history of suddenly appearing and looking all transparent and causing havoc, so I guess it’s appropriate really.
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YAY!
New update. 🙂
I love it.
I love how it’s a more simple story told with the pictures, but still incredibly gorgeous.
Phenomenal, as usual.
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Thank you! 🙂 And yes, Lilith is very visual and experiential and thinks in pictures and feelings more than words (especially as we go on and she becomes less and less rational) whereas Jason is much more verbose in his inner monologue. Err – if you were talking about this update as opposed to the last one. If you were talking about the whole story as opposed to other Sims stories – more pictures and less text is just my style and how I’ve always rolled with Sims stories.
And really that’s why I’m seriously considering just staying with the Sims game as a storytelling medium – I love using the pictures to help tell the story and it’s so fun and free.
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Wow, no chapter book or “picture” book has ever put my on the edge of my seat like you have! I’ve always found reading so boring, but then I started reading your updates! I am amazed by your creativity and the way the updates always seem to fit with the last update. The way you portray the characters is OUTSTANDING, and it fits perfectly in with the story line. I also love your way with words, you always seem to know how to make even the climax of the story shine with cretivity and detail, and you use more poetry then prose then any professional writer I’ve seen. The photography, and how it fits in with the text, is incredible.
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I saved this one for last and I should really be going back to work now, but oh well.
Thank you so incredibly much. I really really really appreciate that. And I want to write pages and pages in reply but I really do need to be leaving now.
It especially means a lot because, as my husband said the other day, I write by the seat of my pants. My sister-in-law doesn’t play Sims and hasn’t read the story, so it’s always fun talking with her about it. She was asking all these plot questions and I was like, “I don’t know, I’ll figure it out when I get there.” It really doesn’t feel like I’m writing Valley. It’s more like it’s gradually revealing itself to me.
And I’m thinking that I’m going to try and find my husband a red button down shirt, a blue cardigan, and some dark glasses for Halloween. 🙂
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Another cliffhanger ;_;
D; Oh the agony!!! I wish I was as well at writing as you are.
Unfortunately, my writing is too ennui (I had to include the word ennui, I bearly ever use it..) and leaves no one on anyones edges of any seats (lol?) ;_;
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Yeah – the last couple hadn’t ended in quite the same cliffhangery way, I think. But that’s how this one wanted to end.
Yay ennui! I hardly ever use it either but it is a good word and deserves more use.
And thank you, but I’m sure yours is just fine. If you’re not happy with it (and really I’m not that happy with mine) I think that the key things are practice and age. Like if I keep writing, I’ll be way better when I’m older. I’m not quite 30 yet after all. 😉
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Whoa, so glad I logged in to Blogger and saw that you updated! Woot!
I’m going to jump on the band wagon and say that the use of picture-to-written word ratio is perfect. It was like scrolling through a movie. Each slide slipped into the other flawlessly.
Also, I find it interesting that Lilith has retreated into herself. She seemed so talkative at the beginning, so out-going. Now… Now she’s like a whole other person. She reminds me of Sybil, and I don’t want to shed my newest theory as to who Seth is, and what could happen, here. I’ll pop into PM and tell you. 😉
And, lastly, like one of the comments above, I hope Lilith is NOT on fire! What if she is… The Fire Starter! *fade in scary doom music here*
Great job! 😀
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That wasn’t really conscious on my part, but thinking about it I’m cool with it and think that it makes sense. She’s gone through a lot since the beginning, and she’s certainly not going to be the same Lilith she was in Morning at the end of the story.
I do like theories. 🙂
The next update is going to take some effort to shoot, I think. But I can do it – if I get bogged down I can go look at the trailer for the Sims 3 movie Alone 2. It has Sims performing quite well in the midst of a huge lot-wide fire.
Thank you, and I’m glad you liked it. 🙂 I am rather happy with this one except the Seth thing, but like I said I think that’s just me being silly and perfectionist because that really is his established MO.
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Yay! I LOVED this chapter. I check your website twice a day for updates. haha
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Awww, thank you. 🙂 I do try and update at least twice a week. And I’m on vacation next week! 🙂 Which is good, because I need to just play Seth for a bit.
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Love the pictures-very well done! Each time I read one of your updates I get more and more excited about the story, and can’t wait until the next one, I can’t get enough! Big Jason fan, and I’m glad Lilith finally at least got a start on telling him what she’d been going through. I’m anxious to see what happens with that. I really like them together, though I’m not sure if Lilith is starting to love him back, or just clinging to him because he’s like her life support right now. I’d write more but my new kitten is attacking my laptop while I write, lol. Awesome post as always!
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Thank you. 🙂 Although now I’m worried that you won’t like the next update much. But we shall see. 😉
And that’s actually a very good question about Lilith. I think that she has always liked him more than she realized and now that she’s in a pretty vulnerable and fragile state that’s starting to come through, but I don’t know if she would ever really love him the way he loves her. Hmm.
I think maybe she’d love him in her own special Lilith way.
Yay new kitten! 🙂 Mine’s calmed down a lot now and is growing up pretty quickly. I love cats so much.
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I started reading your story again. I love your writing style and choice of words. You use very descriptive language and I can picture the scene rather than just the screenshot images. Great story.
Kathy
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Thank you. 🙂 I know that the non-legacy Sims 2 story community had a definite philosophy that the pictures were pretty much pointless and useless, which begs the question of why they were using the game as a medium in the first place. And I always think about that whenever someone uses the word descriptive.
My personal Sims stories philosophy is that the pictures and the writing should work together to create the story. Although to be honest when I reread it after publishing it I scroll on by the pictures myself. 😉
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Ahhhhh sexual tension!!!! Forget the fire! Find a bed!
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Heh. That is how I felt while working on this update. 😉
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woah, it takes me an hour to get to the bottom of this page! xD nice job! your getting pretty popular, and you deserve it! Great job! 🙂
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Thank you. 🙂 I am certainly grateful for all the comments and feedback I get, deserved or not.
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I just caught up and gdi I hope nothing bad happens to Jason!
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We shall have to see, won’t we? 😉
Thank you.
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Love the update! Great job!
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Thanks, although now I’m feeling all insecure and like it sucks again – sigh.
I’m glad you liked it. 🙂
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Are you kidding? Your stories are excellent!!! They always keep us IN the story like a movie! And everyone here loves it. Trust me. ^.^ And whatever happens next, we will keep coming back for more because you have an amazing talent that noone can ignore. You have improved with everything here and all of us appreiciate the time you take with this. Thank you.
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I go through periods like that sometimes – those perfectionist and neurotic traits, lol. I feel better now, though.
Thank you so much. That really means a lot and I am very grateful for it and appreciate it.
I’m too exhausted to work on the next update today, and the next three updates are very very very important and I want them to be the best I can make them, so I want to take my time on them. Luckily, I’m on vacation next week. 🙂
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I understand, I’m a perfectionist too. Have a good vacation! Get plenty of rest and have lots of fun! Isn’t it your anniversery? Happy anniversery! And if it isn’t…oops. XD
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Yes, it is. 🙂 And I do plan to have lots of fun working on Valley without having to spend 8-5 at work. Yay!
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Such a contrast here – a sweet moment followed by terror. Lilith certainly doesn’t get much of a break from her haunting does she.
Another great chapter Misty. I’ve been a bit behind in my reading. Perfect balance of caps and narrative.
(VoE owner here)
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No, she doesn’t get much of a break. She’d better be grateful I allowed her this one. 😉
Thank you. I did think that it was a sort of in between chapter on text and pics with no text, which I liked.
I’ve made the folders for the next one and have GIMP started and am about to go load up the game. The one after next is probably going to be 100% pictures with no text, but those pictures will certainly have a story to tell.
Yay! 🙂 I’ve put your new link in my blogroll.
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I think pictures can tell a heck of a lot and some screencaps really don’t need text with it as they’re illustrative of their own.
I’ve seen many a story that have a chapter entirely made of pictures and no text and they’ve really added to the story in a big way so I wouldn’t worry if you aren’t going to attach text in a chapter. I am sure it will still tell a great story. You take great screencaps anyway and as they say, a picture can say a thousand words.
Thanks for adding my new link. I probably should have posted a note or something – didn’t really think of that and I really wanted to have the site up and running and fully functional first anyway. Took me a week and a half to get it to the stage I was happy with!
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I’m working on the next update and it’s turning out to be quite low on text, at least so far. But who’s going to be thinking and talking in long descriptive sentences in the middle of a fire anyway?
And the update after that – no text just fits it. It’s necessary. It’s what the story wants. And I will be announcing it as a full update – I didn’t do that with Help because I was a bit embarrassed by its lack of text, but this one – the next three updates are key points in the story and they are all very important.
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The next chapter yay! And an another cliff hanger! A great one like always- you are an amazing writer and I love your story! I also like the way that you edit your pics. Your story is amazing, and I wonder will Lilith die in the fire,or is it Jason that’s going to die know?
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Aww, thank you. 🙂 The next one is proving very hard to shoot. Grrrrr. I’ll figure it out though – Valley always shows me the way.
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OHHHH NO!! I HOPE SHES JUST IMAGINING THAT!!
awwww Lillith!! not Lillith too!!
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I don’t really like posting spoilers, but I will say that there are quite a few updates left and Lilith will be in all of them. It is the story of her personal journey after all, and she still has a long path to walk.
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Ok whew so she doesn’t die? right?
I hope not!
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At least not yet. 😉 I did realize the other day that the valley of the sun is also the valley of the shadow of death, and the whole theme of the story is Lilith’s walk through that valley.
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I don’t blame Lilith for wanting a piece of Heaven or normalcy within all the turmoil. Sometimes we need that just to keep us sane.
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Yeah. This was a really rough three days for Lilith here.
Haha – you caught me right at the beginning of writing the sequel to Valley, and so I keep mentioning it. I think that it will take place over far longer than three days, and I’m looking forward to going slower with Lilith, seeing what she’s like when she’s not going through all this trauma. Should be cool.
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Wow, another very powerful chapter! I loved all the scattered thoughts, and the split images, and the… uh oh, that ending…!
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Yay happiness! I’m glad you liked it. 🙂
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Uh oh! Fire! What is going on? Is Lilith losing her mind? Did someone set the house on fire? She and Jason are cute together. I think he’s really good for her and I’d hate for something to mess that up or for him to be tricking her somehow. I just don’t now what to think. He smells like fresh grass… I’d probably sneeze. Allergies. Good thing I’m not Lilith then. But her comment about his scent was oddly comforting and grounding, probably because grass grows on the ground and is alive, and right now she needs desperately to cling to life.
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Yep! Seth set the house on fire.
Oh wow, I’d forgotten about that! It’s just that freshly mown grass is my favorite smell ever in the world. I need to stop using it. I don’t think I’ve used it in Surreal Darkness, so there’s that.
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It’s ok that you use it. I like it too but it makes me sneeze.
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