The Return to Maxis Island

   I can still remember the day the renovation project was completed in the Old Town district, remember the box of goodies that were delivered and how anxious I was to open it to find all those mystical items and that magical hole in the ground that took you to Magic Town. I can remember when Studio Town opened its doors to allow us in to take tours and visit their wondrous worlds of movie making and sound recordings. Back then, Maxis Island was growing in leaps and bounds and it seemed there was no limit as to what that town could accomplish.

   I moved away shortly after Studio Town began to lose its luster and watched the surrounding area's suffer for it. Sim State University went well, Found an apartment in Belladonna Cove and began my Law Enforcement Career. I later found a position with the Portaloosa Police Department and worked my way up to Deputy Chief. It was almost a year after gaining my position that I received a call from the Maxis Island Police Department asking if I would be interested in returning home and taking over the department as their new Chief. I jumped at the chance to work back in a community I not only grew up in but loved and still love very much.

   The movers were quick but very careful, all of my belongings sent to my old home, 69 First Ave. I loved that old house and when my parents passed away I could not let go of so many memories and kept the house all these years. The pond where I learned to swim, sneaking out to go visit the dogs that were outside of the pet shop, going over to the park, the house was in the almost perfect spot to enjoy all of old town. With my bags packed, the departments farewell party over and all of my goodbyes said it was time to finally go home.

   I was too excited to sleep on the flight and looking out of the window I could see how much of my old town had changed, and it looked like a change for the better. I guess the loss of the major companies in Studio Town did not hurt Maxis as bad as I thought. I was met at the airport by the City Manager, who took me straight to my old house, telling me I had a few days before I needed to report to work, so I could get settled in. 

   I took full advantage of the days off to get a better look at all of the changes in my town. The tunnel leading to Magic Town finally was completed, as was the new connecting roads to Calamity Forest and the suspension bridge over to Vacation Island which had been damaged many years ago was finally repaired. My first stop of course was Magic Town as it was one of my most favorite places in all of Maxis. For some reason, however, it did not feel the same as all of those old magic holes in the ground were gone.

   Coming out of the tunnel I half expected to see the old dirt trail that wound through Creepy Hollow, the old collapsed covered bridge, and nothing but big grassy fields over in Calamity Forest, but to my amazement the dirt trail was paved, the covered bridge repaired and restored, and solid dirt roadways over in the forest. It was as if the town wanted to preserve as much as they could of the old Magic Town but also provide easier ways around since the transport holes were no longer available. Turning a corner in the forest I noticed something lying in the road and as I approached I knew my mini vacation was over.

   Getting out of the car and walking over I noticed that it was the remains of a badly scorched body lying there. Thankfully the city council had arranged to have my patrol cruiser waiting for me at my home, I called in for the crime scene unit and the medical examiner. Inspecting the body I recognized him immediately, it was Vernon the Pallbearer, a Magic Town local and a bit of a celebrity after opening his vault for others to explore. He had burns over the majority of his body and was clutching a burned notebook, I waited for the crime scene techs and M.E. before continuing the investigation.

   As the scene was being processed I began to walk the area and found several pieces of burnt paper lying on the ground along the side of the road. I made sure that the techs marked, photographed and tagged each piece before collecting them up to read whatever could be taken from those pages. The majority of the pages were drawings of some sort, but nothing could be made from them as they were too badly burned, but one had the words "Found the other tomb" written on it. Growing up we heard tales that there were tombs all throughout Magic Town but Vernon's Vault was the only one that was known to exist, the only one after years of searching the entire area was found. Could it be true? Is there another tomb in Magic Town? Or is this just the rants of a dying old man?

   I decided to walk over to Vernon's Vault as the scene was not too far from there to have a look around. As I went through the vault I noticed several of the old traps, thought to have been destroyed, were activated and set off recently. Several of the traps were set off by rats that had been living in the vault, their crispy bodies lying next to each trap they set off, there was one however that was set off yet no remains were lying near it. Was this the site where Vernon received those burns? Remembering the words written on that piece of paper I wondered if it was possible that Vernon was just suffering from delusions and thought he had found a new tomb when in fact he was  just confused and was still in his own vault?

   I returned to the station in the Downtown district to continue the investigation. I first met with the C.S.U. lead tech on the scene and secured the old notebook Vernon was holding. It was surprisingly in better condition than I first thought and started going through his notes. The first few pages were a total loss and the majority of the rest notebook was filled with drawings and markings with the occasional note written about trap location or type.

   The drawings were more like floor plans when examined closer and if these drawings were accurate it may be that Vernon did in fact discover another tomb in Magic Town, but where was it? thumbing further through the notebook I came across a page that described an area above the tomb but unfortunately the notes were incomplete, due to the burn damage in the back of the notebook. It is my guess that the location of the tomb was listed in the beginnings of the notebook and further notes were made near the last entries. 

   The notes that were legible mentions Vernon stopping to rest at a picnic bench, finding a hidden switch which revealed stairs going down to the tomb. The sentence was written,

    "I am a bit tired from the walk so I am taking a break at one of the picnic tables in the area. I know the tomb must be here, it is the one place no one thought of checking. I noticed a spot on the ground that looks different from the rest of the area, I will check there next."

The next legible sentence reads,

    "I activated the hidden switch I discovered, which opened a staircase in the ground, hidden right where the disturbed grass was! I did it. I found the second tomb!"

Nothing else is legible, but I will send it back to the crime lab to see if they can pull anymore information from this book. So Vernon did find another tomb in Magic Town but with his death so goes the information to its location.

And so begins my new life back in Old Town and Maxis Island.....