Hi there. Yeah. I’m talking to you, the reader. I am totally breaking the fourth wall, something that I’ve tried to not do since my first chapter or so. At least not as directly. I would finger gun you, but I’m not that outgoing, I’m stuck in a pose, and on an OMSP thingie. But, you can consider yourself finger gunned if you would like. Or even better, heart farted, because I love my readers.

Anyway, I’m introducing this chapter, a series of shorts if you will, called The Voices of Pleasantview. Does it tie in with my legacy story? Kind of. It features some of the Maxis Pre-Mades and what their lives are like living here. They will be in future chapters, at least peripherally. So why not establish what they are like now?

There is a mix up of writing styles here; first person, letters, narrative, and even a song. Please don’t be put off by that. I wanted this to be kind of different and I hope…

Keith: Sweet! Are we actually addressing the camera? I didn’t think we were allowed to do that.

Me: Usually not, no, but…

Keith: Okay pervy camera person, stop taking pictures of me in my underwear! I know I look good in them, and darnit, I’m comfortable. But it has got to stop. People might get weirded out. And while I have your attention, Angela is my wife. So you so called ‘hot legacy spares’ can keep your beady little eyes off of her, unless you want to face the wrath of my patented ‘Choke-Fu’. Consider yourself warned. I’m especially looking at you Mr. Knickers and Spats dude.

Me: This is coming from the guy who has heart farted every single legacy female he’s come in contact with. Ansley, Kitty, Savannah, Aviendha, Mary, Aylee, and even a few townies. And you don’t need to worry about ‘Mr. Knickers and Spats Dude’ for a couple of reasons, the main one being that he heart BARFED me. Yeah. Talk about an ego boost there, where even the asexual guy finds me unattractive.

Keith: Of course he ‘heart barfed’ you. He’s a smart dude who wants to live.

Me: As if I’d let you kill him.

Keith: Oh, I’d find a way.

Me: Yes. This is what I have to deal with.

Keith: HEY!

Me: Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little side journey through Pleasantview. As I was saying before I got interrupted, I do not plan on changing the narrative style of my legacy story. Just for this. I wanted each voice to be unique. After this, I will return you to your regularly scheduled Legacy Story where, surprise surprise, Sebastian and Kitty get married and pop out a couple of kids.

So, on with the show!

Cassandra Goth

My father is crazy. There, I said it. And I don’t mean in the ‘Mad Scientist’ crazy sense, though he used to be one.

No, I mean, my father has gone completely mad.

Clearly, I do not mean it in a good way. He is completely incapable of taking care of his own basic needs.

It was a number of things, I think, that did it.

It was losing mom that first unhinged him.

It was further aggravated when that slimy pig Don left me at the altar.

Then ‘Project Pleasantview’ made us lose our entire fortune, forcing us to live in this one room shack.

Of course, it might have been the botched lobotomy as well; but I am not a doctor, so I can’t say for sure.

One thing I am certain of though is that I am forced to deal with this all alone. Baby Alex can’t be bothered between his getting married to Lucy Burb and his new job in politics.

Of course, I can’t expect anything less from a man, even if he is my brother. He claims that everything will turn out well for us in the end, but how do I know for certain?

How do I know that Baby Alex won’t screw me over like Don Lothario did?

Then there is the Devereaux family who just moved here like they owned the place.

I can’t stand them, and I hope they all die a fiery death.

They are all so good.

They are all so happy.

They are all so poised.

They are all so…bloody perfect.

Tragedy never seems to touch people like them. I should know; my life used to be like theirs.

Well, you know, until tragedy hit and we lost everything.

I try very hard to make sure that people don’t see what my father has been reduced to. Unfortunately that gets very tough when he has one of his fits outside.

I’ve tried talking to him during those times. I’ve even tried physically picking him up.

Nothing works. All I can do I watch, helplessly.

The scary part of his episodes is when he stands up, smiles, and says that he feels so much better.

I can almost swear that he’s looking right at me.

But, I get the feeling that he’s not really seeing me when he says that.

Almost as bad as his fits is when he starts digging through the garbage cans for hours at a time.

He used to be so fastidious. Now, he’s constantly surrounded by fumes that have the cloying scent of garbage and decay in it.

I really don’t want to mention what he does with the stuff he finds in the garbage, but it is disconcerting to see him slap an old, rotten boot heel between two pieces of bread and eat it.

He wears himself out so often and so quick as well. I like these times the best, though. I can keep an eye on him.

He gets these delusions that the neighbors are spying on him, so he runs over there to pick a fight. I’m the one who has to fetch him.

He has bad dreams all of the time. He calls out for my mother. Of course, he doesn’t remember that she disappeared.

I do my best to comfort him, like he used to comfort me when I was a child. I comfort him like I would if I had my own child. Not that it will ever be likely that I will have one now. I have become too jaded against men, and I’m sorry, I don’t like women like that.

I’m going to be a spinster. I have come to terms with that.

I get a smug sort of satisfaction that the Caliente trollop (Nina? Dina? I can’t remember which) stopped sniffing around after we lost all of our money. That was the only thing she was after.

Of course, it would have been nice if she would have actually loved my father, just so she could be here to help out now.

But, there is no help. Baby Alex says he will when he gets settled, but I can’t wait that long.

The repo man will be paying a visit soon because we don’t have the money to pay the bills. The bills are so small, too. Back in the day, such a paltry amount would have been pocket change to any of us.

Now it’s a looming problem.

I have to find a job, a completely new concept to me. Either a job or some other quick money. I’ll probably have to work for Malcom Landgraab like most of the other Pleasantview citizens do.

And he’s a man. He’ll probably hire me just so he can stare at me all day long. Men only want one thing from women, those pigs.

A job.

Who will take care of my father?

A job.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

***

Angela Broke

Letter #1

Dear Baby,

I’m sorry I don’t know your name yet, but I can’t wait to meet you! I decided to write you letters telling you all about us. When you get older, you will be able to read them and get to know who we are. Maybe I am starting a tradition where you will do the same for your own children.

That’s so silly. I’m already imagining being a grandparent before I’m a parent!

Anyway, I am your Mommy. My name is Angela Broke. I was Angela Pleasant, but then I got married to your daddy.

Your daddy’s name is Dustin. We both grew up together. We were high school sweethearts.

I was a good student. Your daddy was not, but he managed to graduate.

You had better believe that your daddy wants you to do better than he did!

Like I said before, your daddy and I were high school sweethearts. It was only natural for us to get married afterwards.

Neither of us could afford to go to college. College is very expensive!

We hope to be able to save up enough money for you to go, though.

Shortly after your daddy and I got married, we found out that you were along the way.

Both of us are so happy! It doesn’t matter if you are a boy or a girl. I know that daddy and I will love you no matter what.

Mommy is tired, hungry and sick now. I don’t know what I should take care of first, but I know that I need to stay healthy so you will be born strong.

I love you Baby.

Love,Mommy

Letter # 17

Dear Baby,

Did you feel that? Did you feel Daddy rubbing you through my tummy? I hope you did. Can you hear us when we talk to you?

Daddy says that he can feel you kicking, even at night when I lay snuggled up next to him. He thinks you’re going to be an athlete.

I think you’re going to be a dancer though, with how you are constantly moving, not just kicking.

It feels so strange, knowing that you are a whole different person, and you are inside of me. I hope we like each other. I hope we have a better relationship with each other than I did with my parents and your Aunt Lilith.

You’re going to be coming so soon! I can’t wait!

Love,Mommy

Letter # 23

Dear Baby,

Daddy loves you so much already. He lays awake at night, worried. He’s worried that he won’t be able to provide the best for you.

He wants for you to have a backyard to play in. He wants for you to have new toys and clothes. He wants for you to have good food.

Your daddy is worried that no matter what he does, the Social Worker will come and take you away from us.

Like she took away his brothers, your Uncle Beau…

And your Uncle Sam.

Daddy was very sad when that happened. Your Grandma Brandi was, too.

Daddy and Grandma Brandi had a fight over it, and he hasn’t talked to her since then.

Daddy is thinking about contacting her again, though. He wants for you to know your Grandma. Hopefully some day you’ll meet your uncles as well.

Then we’ll all be a big happy family!

Love,Mommy

Letter #33

Dear Jill!

You have a name now! You were born today, and I was so excited to be able to hold you in my arms and meet you for the first time!

You are so beautiful. You have my hair color and your daddy’s pretty blue eyes. Your daddy is already saying that he’s going to need to get a stick to beat the boys off with because it’s never too soon to be prepared. He’s so silly.

I can’t imagine you being old enough to date yet. You were just born!

I could spend all day just looking at your tiny little hands and feet. I made you! You, this tiny, perfect little person.

Did you just smile at me? I think you did!

Love,Mommy

Letter #41

Dear Jill,

Your daddy works so very hard, saving up enough money for you to have everything you could possibly want. Your daddy’s boss, Mr. Landgraab, was so nice; he gave your daddy a raise and lets him work overtime so we can save money for you.

I hope you know that no matter how hard your daddy works, and how tired he might be at the end of the day, that he still loves you. No matter what!

Love,Mommy AND Daddy

Letter #45

Dear Jill,

Your daddy and I can’t stop looking at you with awe. We watch you for hours as you play with the new toy Daddy bought for you. You seem to love it!

We have to be careful so as not to spoil you!

Who are we kidding? You already have us both wrapped around your tiny, perfect, dimpled little pinky.

We love you so much. I can’t stress that enough.

No matter what we may lack in material things, we will both make sure that you will never lack in love and affection.

We hope for a brighter future for you to grow up in. We hope we can give you the moon, should you wish it.

We hope you know that you will always have us, our love. Your family.

Love,Mommy

***

Don Lothario

“Helllloooooooo Pleasantview! That’s right; it’s Don Lothario on 98.6 ‘The Body Heat’ giving a shout out to all the lovely ladies out there! There have been a few special ones in my life and I would like to dedicate this next song to them. Ladies, each and every one of you are so special to me. I will never forget the time we’ve spent together!

So here you go, and thanks for tuning into 98.6 ‘The Body Heat’ with Don!”

When I’m with you baby, I go out of my head!

And I just can’t get enough.And I just can’t get enough!

All the things you do to meAnd everything you said.

I just can’t get enough.I just can’t get enough!

We slip and slideAs we fall in love,

And I just can’t seemtoget enough!

We walk togetherWe’re walking down the street.

I just can’t get enough,And I just can’t get enough!

Every time I think of you,I know we have to meet!

I just can’t get enough.I just can’t get enough!

It’s getting harderIt’s a burning love.

And I just can’t seemtoget enough!

I just can’t get enoughI just can’t get enoughI just can’t get enoughI just can’t get enoughI just can’t get enough

(repeat x2)

And when it rains,You’re shining down for me.

And I just can’t get enough.And I just can’t get enough!

Just like a rainbow,You know you set me free.

And I just can’t get enough.And I just can’t get enough!

You’re like and angelAnd you give me your love,

And I just can’t seemtoget enough!

_____

Depeche Mode “I Just Can’t Get Enough”(My apologies for the bad 80’s music)

***

Malcolm Landgraab IV

Malcolm checked a sigh as he looked at the applicant sitting in front of him. He could tell by her attitude that she was just waiting to call him out for discrimination, or sexual harassment, or any number of other things that would make his life miserable.

“Without a resume or prior job experience, why do you feel qualified for this position Ms. Goth?”

Cassandra smiled smugly. “I doesn’t matter if I’m qualified or not Mr. Landgraab. I can see that you were undressing me with your eyes. All I have to do is sue you for harassment and I will get the money I need right away. I figure that this is the much easier and kinder way of handling the situation for the both of us.

For some reason, Mr. Landgraab, you were able to retain your vast fortune whereas my family was not. My brother Alexander thinks that there must have been some suspicious activities on your part. With him rising up in the political world, do you really want a high profile investigation going on?”

Alexander Goth is a royal class jerk, Cassandra. A bone fide asshat, Malcolm thought to himself. Of course, he wasn’t going to say that out loud. It also would be pointless to contradict Cassandra about him ‘undressing her with his eyes,’ as she would probably be even more offended if he pointed out that she most definitely was not his type.

This time, he did sigh.

“Ms. Goth, Cassandra, you don’t even know how to type…”

Cassandra cut him off. “That does not matter. I can learn Malcolm. I am willing to bet that if one of the Devereaux family waltzed in here, you would give them a job.”

I doubt they would need to, but yeah probably, he thought again to himself. Once again, he didn’t voice that opinion out loud. They, the Devereauxes, didn’t seem to have the same sense of entitlement that the Goth family felt was their due.

Malcolm glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost time to go home. He shrugged mentally just wanting the interview, and work week, to be over with.

“You are absolutely right Cassandra. You seem to be a very capable woman who is quick to learn. I will hire you on a ninety day probation period and then we can reevaluate your performance and go on from there. I will see you Monday morning at nine?”

“Of course Malcolm,” was all she said before she left the office, without a word of thanks. Malcolm watched her go with a look of resignation mixed with a bit of pity.

Don Lothario really messed her up by leaving her at the altar. She’s become a total man hater, he thought.

He sighed and rubbed his hands together unconsciously. He really hoped he didn’t regret hiring her.

Everyone needed a job; and they all looked to him to be the one to provide it for them. Most of the Pleasantview citizens were grateful and they all worked hard, but he had a feeling that hiring any Goth family member would be a regrettable decision.

Looking at the clock, he saw it was time to close shop. He smiled as he picked up the phone and called home.

“Hey, it’s me. I’m on my way home. Do you need me to pick up anything?” He listened to the person on the other end and smiled even wider. “Wow, lime speared prawns sounds absolutely delicious! Okay, I’ll see you in a bit...I love you, too.”

He didn’t know why he was allowed to keep almost everything after ‘Project Pleasantview’ ripped through town. Certainly it wasn’t due to any illegal activities on his part. Of course, he lost his house, and all of his original businesses. But, he was the owner of most of the industrial businesses in Pleasantview and though he had to live in an apartment complex, it was furnished with the high class taste that he was accustomed to.

He also was one of the few people who did not have the inexplicable hate for the Devereaux family. They did nothing wrong, that he could see, other than moving to Pleasantview. They had moved in way after ‘Project Pleasantview’ anyway. But that was the society they lived in; a society who always looks for someone else to blame.

He rubbed his head against the headache that was forming; a painful reminder that he had eaten nothing all day long. And then he remembered that there was a delicious meal waiting for him at home.

“Dinner is almost ready,” Frances said cheerfully as Malcolm walked into their apartment. Malcolm inhaled the delicious aroma appreciatively and smiled at Frances.

Frances J. Worthington the Third. They had both met at a coffee shop and things just happened from there.

Of course, Malcolm’s parents had no idea that he was gay. They had both died before he came out, and seeing as he was an only child, he inherited everything. He was willing to bet that his father was spinning in his grave though.

Frances, on the other hand, had been completely disowned and cut off entirely from his family. His name had even been stricken from the family records.

The funny thing was a marital merger between the Landgraab and Worthington family would have been ideal…if one of the two had been born a girl, of course.

It did bother Frances at first, being disowned. He had contemplated just marrying the girl his family wanted him to marry, pop out a kid, and afterwards…run with scissors until the inevitable happened. Then, the day those thoughts became the darkest, he discovered two things:

Painting and Malcolm. He hasn’t looked back since.

Frances felt happy for the first time in his life.

Of course, he would be a little happier if he knew how to paint better, but he knew that would come with practice.

He would be ecstatic if he and Malcolm could actually get married, but gay marriages were illegal in Pleasantview. However, he knew that change might, no, would come with time. It had to.

And Frances was a patient man.

Frances pretty much kept house, painted, and helped out at the community garden whenever he could. He knew that it wasn’t necessary, but he liked helping Malcolm.

Malcolm made Frances happy, and so to repay him, Frances made Malcolm happy.

Did he miss the proverbial ‘silver spoon’ he had been born with? To be honest, he didn’t really think about it much anymore. He wouldn’t have been happy with the family inheritance or his life. He knew that as an absolute fact, due to his previous suicidal thoughts. He would not have felt comfortable. He would not have felt at home.

Home is where the heart is, and to him, Malcolm was home. He knew Malcolm felt the same way.

Frances walked behind Malcolm and rubbed his back. “Rough day at work?” He asked.

Malcolm sighed as Frances rubbed the kinks out of his neck. “Yeah,” he responded, not needing to say much else. Frances could practically read his mind, just as he could practically read Frances’.

It was a crazy world out there and, against all odds, they found each other.

Sometimes even the smallest comfort made all the difference.

***

Alexander Goth

Ah. Hello. You there. No, I am not talking to the reader. I am talking directly to you, peasant007; the author, creator, whatever you wish to call yourself. If your readers wish to snoop, then that is none of my concern. In fact, perhaps it would be for the best, so they will get an idea of what you exactly have done.

Then they can judge you for themselves.

I know you think you are very clever. I am very well aware that you think what you have done is very humorous. I will be the first to admit; it was.

Until it affected me and my family.

Until they moved here, the Goth family was your pride and joy. Your pet family. We were allowed to live in splendor, be educated, and in the case of my father, be sane.

It was all fun and games until you threw the Goth family in with the rest of the riff raff. Now I am left with no choice but to expose you for the monster that you actually are.

As you can see, I am standing on one of the Budget Slum Unit rows. I hope your readers notice the state of disrepair these so-called homes are in. They are made of bits of rotted wood that have holes in them. The roofs also have holes, making it unpleasant to live in, at the best of times.

I hope your readers will also take note that at the end of this road is a loading dock for the factories. Perhaps they will remember that Pleasantview used to boast of its exquisite shore line with idyllic rainbows gracefully arching over the clear blue water.

But there are no more rainbows, are there? The air is smoggy, and the water is far from the crystal clear it used to be.

Of course, the nuclear power plant and smoke stacks have provided us with this robust, radiation infested area. I am very well aware of the tiny part of you that giggles every time you look at this part of town.

Do not get me wrong, I appreciate industry, and I am well aware that it is needed. I could care less if the common folk have to work grueling hours in the factories.

As I stated before, I was fine with the situation until you cast aside the Goth family like one of your husband’s holey socks.

All for your new Legacy family.

The Goth family is the original legacy family!

(Cecil and Cecilia Goodytwoshoes: Professor Butters' 'Squeaky Clean Legacy')

Of course, I do not hate all legacy families. Just yours.

In fact, this one I like, though he is not participating in a legacy in your neighborhood. I like the cut of his jib.

However, I am unappreciative of the fact that he is living in MY house. But that is okay, he is an excellent caretaker and he appreciates the finery inside. Everything will be maintained properly until I can reclaim it.

Of this, I am positive; both of him taking good care of my home, as well as my eventual reclaiming of it.

The Devereaux Legacy home. Just looking at it makes my blood boil.

It is their fault that I am in a less than savory situation.

I will make sure that the injustice done to me and my family is repaid ten fold.

People think that Lillian Devereaux is a villain? Perhaps. But she is too high profile to be able to do what I plan on doing.

What will that be? You will find out. It will not be today, nor will it be tomorrow.

Soon. The Devereaux family will be extremely affected, and there will be nothing they can do about it.

I am letting you know, peasant007, that the process is in the works.

You could delete me, I suppose. But I doubt you are going to. People always like an antagonist, and you are no exception.

Yes, I believe you are going to have your hands very full by the end of your next generation of the Devereaux family. And I can be patient.

I am quite sure of the fact that I will not age as rapidly as your main family. Between your time playing with them, and documenting all their pithy happenings, I will be sitting by the sidelines.

Watching.Waiting.Planning.

Eagerly.

With my wife Lucy by my side, I will make sure that Pleasantview, nay, the Devereaux family; will never know what hit them.

This, I promise you.

***

Thank you all for reading!

-----

Thanks to my husband, Keith, for editing the original Pleasantview cover. As I have pointed out before, I have no talent in that area.