An exhausted Magda joined her children at the table, wondering for the fifth time why she'd let Vincenzo get the ice cream from the ships mess officer. They had no electricity, let alone a working refrigerator in which to store it. As they ate their dinner Magda realized it was more than past time to take Apple and Vincenzo around the island. Especially to the abandoned mine to look for ores and stones. Magda explained to Apple and Vincenzo where they would be going, and that while they were permitted to dig through the large pile of scrap that they would need to be very careful, as some of the pieces were rusty and had very sharp edges. That night they all slept restlessly. Apple dreamed of getting a new bed, while Vincenzo dreamed of getting more ice cream. If Magda dreamed, she didn't remember recall what the dreams were. She did recall fretting about Apple and Vincenzo's education as she drifted off to sleep. There was so much they would need to learn, and she wasn't sure how much she would be able to teach them. Magda choose to take Apple and Vincenzo the long way around to the mine. Unsure of why she didn't want them to realize that it was just a few short feet away from the house right away, Magda paused and stared at their home. It was a little odd, almost funny, the once dead trees had re-blossomed with life over the last few years, but the fruit trees in the garden had gone dormant and stopped growing after their first winter. Taking in one last look at the windows yet to be fixed she was a little sad that she'd have to kill more of the ivy when she got around to repairing those windows. When they arrived at the mine Vincenzo made straight for the outhouse, while Apple stopped to pick some flowers. Magda smiled and promised Apple that they would find something to put the flowers in once home. They were pretty, but given they had no trade value Magda had always ignored them. Magda then turned her attention to collecting rocks, those and animal specimens were what would bring in the money, along with her paintings. Both children had spotted the small ponds and the fish swimming in them and asked Magda if the fish were edible. Magda admitted she didn't know and hadn't considered fishing before. She promised to ask next time the ship came. She however didn't mention to them that she hadn't known how to cook before arriving on the island. A few days later the ship had come by, and as Magda traded the raw ores and stones she once again wondered about leaving the island. The captain just shook his head and pointed out it would be cheaper to install soar panels and computers for long distance education than the several hundred thousand that would be needed for boarding schools on top of the 50,000 per person each direction of travel. As Magda's face fell the captain reassured her that the supplies needed for solar power had come a long way over the last few decades, and that even with the constant fog the island endured she would be able to get enough light to run some simple basic electrical items. As the captain rummaged for the appropriate catalog Magda mentioned the twins question about fishing, and blushed as she explained that she'd never fished before let alone knew how to cook fish. With a kindly smile the captain replied that he could help Magda with information on fish and fishing for free, and turned to pull another book off of the shelf and three fishing poles off of the wall. Armed with three poles and two slim books Magda made her way back to the house. The twins were so excited to see the poles that they requested a trip to the pond right away. In addition to gardening, fishing became a part of their daily routine regardless of what the weather was doing. It took the trio awhile but eventually they got the hang of baiting their hooks so the worms wouldn't fall off. Magda both looked forward to and dreaded the day one of them actually caught anything. She hoped and prayed that the first catch would be one of the tiny fish mentioned in the book that didn't require special preparation and could be cooked nearly whole after removing the intestines. Magda stared at the results of her hard work. The solar panels had been surprisingly simple to assemble and install, running the cable to the house had also been relatively easy. The hardest part had been getting the pavers back as if they'd never been disturbed. The new windows had been a quick and easy installation, as she'd had a small bit of experience with them already and knew to not worry about trying to saving the ivy. She also knew that with time it would grow back if she let it. The twins had been excited to fire up the new computers. Magda shivered a little as a feminine recording played as the twins watched a demo - how to file, the voice and the beeps were familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was reminding her of. She shook herself and sent the twins off to play while she assembled the rest of the new furniture that had arrived. Magda smiled as she surveyed the new beds, as well as the new windows in her room. Vincenzo had requested a red bed spread similar to hers, while Apple had requested a green bed spread. Magda continued to paint a little everyday while the twins worked on their studies. They would take a mid day break for their lunch as well as to fish. When the twins requested a video game for flying planes Magda declined the request, and instead encouraged them to go fishing or try to find small animals. Magda couldn't explain to herself or the twins why the game bothered her, but it did, the beeping and busy airport noises haunted her and made it hard for her to stay relaxed and in the now with her children. She found herself repainting Edgar's study on multiple occasions. To regain her sense of calm Magda found herself back out in the garden. It became their routine that if the twins were doing school work, or having free time on the computer she made herself as scarce as possible. Sometimes she'd be in the garden, other days she'd go down the hill to the mine and scrounge fore ore and rocks. Eventually she collected enough to get all new cabinets and a stove that would work with the solar system they had. She also got a book with instruction on how to install an arch door and turned the pantry into a small hall way to the kitchen. She had also purchased and installed more plumbing fixtures into the upstairs, so that they now had two full bathrooms to share between the three of them. Magda had also purchased pipe insulation a few years earlier, so she no longer had to worry about the pipes freezing and bursting as had happened during her first winter. As the twins finished their afternoon assignments in the dining room Magda put the finishing touches on her latest painting just as a few early flakes drifted down from the sky.
Perhaps it was because she was older now, but it felt like the seasons and years were rushing by. Some days when she looked at how quickly the twins were growing she felt like everything was fuzzy, as if in a dream. Whenever she felt like that she would shake herself and tell herself to snap out of it. She would then recount and review every milestone they'd achieved together from their first steps to her successfully catching, cleaning, and cooking her first trout. The twins had learned that on the mainland children took buses to school, and got to attend after school activities such as scouting or ballet classes. Magda reviewed the scouting activities and pointed out that they already did those activities every day. When she pushed the twins on the topic of ballet they hedged and hawed. Magda decided that perhaps it might be a good idea to invest in a ballet bar and a few other exercise related items, instead of some of the other items she had been considering. When Vincenzo spotted a charity auction on stair risers and running cloth Magda allowed him to bid the hundred he'd earned from his small animal finds. They were all surprised when the science ship swung by with the materials on board. The three of them spent an afternoon working carefully on the stairs, and were well rewarded when the stairs no longer squeaked or groaned as they went up and down them. As Magda surveyed their home, she contemplated living a lifestyle of the rich and famous. She then laughed at herself, sure her paintings were selling for much more now than when she had first started painting, but outside of the ships crew and the scientists there was no one to schmooze with in order to become a famous celebrity. With a firm set to her light frame she decided that simply living in the lap of luxury would do.
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