Who expects the end of the world to come during their lifetime? I certainly didn't. I was looking forward to a fulfilling life with a family, a nice house, a good job... I thought the biggest problem I'd face would be who to marry, since I'm in love with two men. Instead...
Instead, I'm dealing with Fimbulwinter. And it isn't the way the stories described it. In the stories, it was a sign that Ragnarok was coming; three winters in a row with no summer in between. Then the final war between the gods and the giants would take place, the world as we knew it would come to an end, but some of the gods would rise again to create a new world. A better world, where crops would grow without having to be planted, where the halls of the gods would be made entirely of gold, and there would be everlasting peace.
If only the stories had been right.
This winter has already lasted much more than three years, and there's no end in sight. It's cold, always so cold and dark. And lonely. Gangsters and thugs roam the streets. People are too frightened to leave their homes most of the time. The phones and computers aren't working. Nothing grows anymore. There are no plants, no grass, no sun, no stars. The sky is always covered by thick, dark clouds. There's barely any food, or water, or electricity. There's only enough schooling to teach the youngest children how to read and write. Who would want to bring children into a world like this? But if we don't, simkind will die out.
Where are the gods? Are they all dead?
If the gods cannot put a stop to this, we must do it ourselves. I don't know how much I can do, but I will try. It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness, as they say.
I'm helping a group of people who are trying to put the schools back together. The children are our future. If we can't bring the world back to what it used to be, perhaps we can help them do it. I started out teaching the youngest children, but was then recruited to help with an attempt to start up a new high school.
It was hard, frustrating work, and sometimes it seemed nothing we did made a difference. And coming home after a long day's hard work to my empty, cold, dark little house... It wasn't easy to keep my spirits up.
Thank the gods - even though they are dead - for Ratna. Sometimes at night he would stop by just to see how I was doing. He could never stay very long, because he's struggling, too. (He's trying to find ways to conserve food better, because the current rations are taking a hard toll on everybody. It's not easy to do a good job when you're always hungry.) But even a quick visit cheers me up more than I can say. To know that somebody cares makes all the difference in the world.
At other times, I resort to childish pleasures like playing in the snow. Since the snow is apparently here to stay, there's no use complaining about it. You make the best of your situation.
And okay, yes, it's fun.
There was a strange creature that showed up outside my house one night. It spent a lot of time near my snowmen, and I could swear it even spoke to them about my job! I must've been hallucinating. I've heard about sims feeling so lonely, they invent imaginary friends to talk to. I never expected it to happen to me. But then, I never expected Ragnarok to happen to me, either.
It just felt so real when I touched it. I could have sworn it was really there...
We did it! We did it, we did it, we did it! The high school is up and running, and we've reestablished contact with my old college! They say they're willing to accept any promising students we send them - but they can't guarantee a safe journey. I guess someone will have to deal with that problem here at the home front. But the schools are back!
There is hope for the future, after all. My children will get a good education, and if Ratna's plans succeed, they will be able to eat their fill. With those advantages, perhaps they can find ways to make things grow again, bring back clean water, clear the streets of criminals, give us back phones and computers and decent houses... Maybe, just maybe, they can even put a stop to this endless winter. It would be nice to see the sun again.
If there's a way, we will find it.
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