58. ECHOES OF TIME (4)

Emit: So you're saying you're from the future… but now you're coming from the past? And you know me from my future, which hasn’t happened yet—for me—but for you it’s already the past… except it’s from the future?

Enue: Uh... I think so?

Emit: Well, now everything makes perfect sense! Even those anomalies I've been tracking lately. My dear, you’ve thoroughly disrupted the space-time continuum of the Simiverse! Do you have any idea how much damage you’ve done by jumping through time so recklessly?

Enue: Damage? What are you talking about?

Emit: In my present—which is the future from this point in time, yet still within the universe of The Sims 3—there have been massive changes. Sims are struggling to survive! Dodging meteors from the sky, avoiding flaming sinkholes, and living in a polluted nightmare!

Emit: Only I’ve been able to detect these shifts, since I time travel regularly and have developed a kind of immunity to timeline distortions. I remember what was, what is, and what’s been altered. The current future looks absolutely horrific! My time gauges tracked the last disruption to your arrival.

Enue: But… I just got here! I haven’t even done anything yet!

Emit: It could be something you will do. You need to return to your own time immediately!

Enue: For once, we agree!

Emit: That’s odd…

Enue: What now?

Emit: I can’t calibrate the portal to your original timeline.

Enue: And...?

Emit: I can only input parameters for my time, or for this present one.

Enue: Wait, are you saying…?

Emit: The Time Portal's been damaged. 

Emit: Likely due to your... clumsy temporal maneuvering. I’ll need to repair it. Until then, you’ll have to stay here.

Enue: Oh, fantastic...

Emit: I wouldn’t sound so thrilled if I were you. We already know you're going to break the future.

Enue: That was sarcasm, genius.

Emit: Oh. Right.

Enue: How long will it take?

Emit: The repairs? Hard to say. I’m not sure what components I’ll need. I’ll have to return to my time and consult the manual. In the meantime, take this Almanac of Time. Study it carefully. Maybe you can still avoid a timeline disaster!

 

Enue: Hey! Wait! I’ve got a million questions!

Emit: Read the Almanac! I’ll return when I know more. Try not to destroy anything else!

And with that, Emit vanished into the Time Portal, leaving Enue even more confused than when she had arrived.

Over the following days, Enue decided to make the most of her stay in this Isla Paradiso.

While she was exploring the islands, at a beachfront inn, asked the receptionist for adventure opportunities. That’s how she got the contact for Linda Scott. But when they met, Linda was very pregnant—and minutes later, they were going to the hospital together. Linda appreciated the help but was in no mood to chit-chat.

Some time later, Linda called her back. During a visit, she told Enue her friend at the Science Lab needed help collecting kelp. Enue got the task quickly, fetched the kelp, and handed it over—earning another mission: to investigate underwater caves.

It took a while, but Enue was finally ready for a deep dive. She didn’t just explore the caves—she found treasure and a piece of an ancient map! She also had a strange encounter with what seemed to be a merman… even attractive one! But minus the tail? Enue wasn’t sure what kind of Sims 3 magic that was.

Days passed slowly. Unlike in The Sims 2, here, time crawled toward her next birthday. She had lots of space to build skills, play fetch with her dog, and enjoy Lifetime Happiness Points. Emit made a surprisingly decent companion. 

But Enue was definitely going a little stir-crazy. After a swim in the ocean, she spotted a ghost and decided he was... kind of cute. The feeling could have been mutual. Unfortunately, the Watcher was too shocked to try anything and the ghost vanished. 

Eventually, autumn came, and the Summer Festival turned into the Fall Festival.

Enue even won a hot dog eating contest! A charming burglar, probably the same one who stole her chair—asked her to dance. Unfortunately, a sudden storm ended the moment, and he run away. Enue really attracts here strange men. Good thing she preferred women in The Sims 4.

Meanwhile, she realized Emit might not return—maybe ever. That meant she needed income. This time, she picked a new career path and turned to science, hoping to discover how to return home herself. That required skills in Handiness and Gardening.

And then winter arrived…

With it came the Winter Festival. Enue was shocked at how cold and snowy it got on a tropical island! Despite all the fun activities, she started missing Sulani. More and more. 

Enue adopted a turtle named Humbert and a boa constrictor named Ernest. Why weren’t these available in Sulani? Probably due to conservation regulations…

This world was full of surprises. Sometimes a bit creepy—like strange guests at night—and sometimes familiar glitchy. Like when snow started falling… indoors. Classic Sims.

Eventually, spring returned. The Spring Festival delighted Enue, especially the kissing booth run by a sweet blonde girl.

Then came a mission to fight a shark. The first one ignored her. The second? Not so much. It got really dangerous—Enue barely made it back to the surface with her last breath of air!

As a reward, the Town Hall gifted her a map and a deed to an uncharted island! When she arrived, she saw potential and decided to convert the land into simoleons (maybe even gems).

Soon, her resort was up and running—small but charming, with a mini gym and a jacuzzi zone. Staff arrived.

More staff followed—not all thrilled about working on an island at the edge of the world. The first guests came too—some quite eccentric. Reviews weren’t stellar at first, but hey, gotta start somewhere.

Enue returned home, occasionally tweaking the resort remotely to improve guest satisfaction. Meanwhile, she got promoted to Genetic Resequencer.

One day, she met a wild horse (well, let’s pretend it was wild—even if Island Paradise didn’t support them, sadly). She decided to tame it.

The horse—named Plum—didn’t trust her at first. But eventually, Plum let her saddle up. Together, they trained for racing and jumping competitions. They were ready!

After a few attempts, they placed first in a beginner's race! They also earned second place in mid-tier and jumping contests—still very satisfying.

Meanwhile, the resort earned a solid 3-star rating. It was actually not that difficult, I was just adding more food options :D

A full year had passed since Enue first arrived. To celebrate, she bought a houseboat and set out on a test voyage. Tomorrow, she planned to explore uncharted waters. What mysteries still waited?

That same evening… Emit returned.

Emit: I don’t have good news. The damage is worse than I thought. I’ll need your help to fix it.

Enue: Excuse me?! You left me here for a year and not even a sorry? I thought you completely forgot about me!

Emit: A year? But I was only gone a few hours!

Enue: What? It’s been four seasons since you left me on that beach and vanished into the portal. I’ve practically built a whole life here!

Emit: That just makes things worse! The portal is resetting its own temporal coordinates. We need to act now, but I can’t do this alone. What are your technical skills?

Enue: Umm... zero? Well, I’ve learned a bit of Handiness...

Emit: You need to level up—fast. I’ve got a mission for you. You’ll need to construct a The Ultimate Invention. 

The very next day, Enue left her Island Paradise, entrusting her pets to a close friend. And just like that, her next adventure began—though not quite the one she’d planned.

Back to University Life. Because how else was she going to boost her tech skills quickly?

Enue: Alright. Let’s do this. That Technology Degree is mine!

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