The Bloomer Legacy: 9.35 Jackpot

Ralph reached the barn in Willow Creek and stopped for a little bit. It seemed abandoned, but almost looked quaint in the sunshine. Two things he hadn’t really expected. Was this definitely the right place?

He pulled out his phone to check the address. Seemed right.

Time to have a closer look, he thought as he headed over to the building with a shrug.

He knew he was supposed to look for a little shop on the side, but he decided to check out the main barn area first. It didn’t seem like anybody was particularly looking after that portion of the building. Not much of interest either.

That was, until he noticed all the goodies peeking through from the attic. Ralph grinned and quickly climbed up the stairs – he didn’t particularly trust them not to collapse.

A lot of it mainly seemed like junk, but he could definitely come up with a thing or two that he could put in good use in his workshop if this place was actually abandoned.

Then again, Ralph knew that was not the case, and that nothing here was quite as left behind as it may have appeared.

Jackpot, he thought to himself as his eyes landed on the stolen ATM. Definitely not your average attic junk. He took a quick screenshot of it with his phone, making a mental note of its location before going back downstairs.

Time to get to business.

The little grocery store on the side of the building looked much better maintained than the rest of the property. Still, what a shoddy cover up, Ralph thought. Like anybody would come here and think there was not some shady business going on.

Of course, other than that stolen ATM, there wasn’t much to show for it though. He’d searched around thoroughly and couldn’t find anything. Looked like the setup was thought through quite well.

“Morning,” Ralph smiled brightly as he entered the shop.

“You’re late,” the man behind the desk gave him a cold stare.

“Aww, come on Tjuv, don’t be so grumpy,” Ralph ignored the man’s tone. “I get you might not be a morning person – neither am I – but you need to lighten up. I’m here, aren’t I?”

Tjuv didn’t look amused. “Perhaps you would have gotten here quicker if you weren’t snooping around the place. Did you really think I don’t have security cameras?”

Ralph’s smile temporarily faded, but he managed to restore his composure. “I was just trying to see if I could grab a little souvenir. Something to remember you by, you know. I’m sentimental like that.”

“Enough with this plum,” Tjuv lost his patience. “Have you brought what we agreed on?”

“That’s what I admire about you Tjuv, always straight to the point.” He pulled out a small parcel from his pocket and pressed it into the man’s hand.

Tjuv opened it and inspected its contents. He seemed pleased.

“I can’t say I enjoy putting up with your nonsense, but you do always deliver.” He relaxed a little. “We’re ready for the next stage. Follow me.”

Ralph was rather puzzled; Tjuv just lead him back into the old abandoned barn part.

“Are you thinking you didn’t look around thoroughly enough after all?” Tjuv asked with an arrogant smirk. “Well, it would appear that’s correct.”

He crouched and pushed the grass and twigs on the floor apart, unveiling a staircase into a hidden basement area.

Ralph’s eyes twinkled as he descended into the room. Now this was the real jackpot. “So this is where you get your creepy on!”

“Just shut up already,” Tjuv sneered.

So he did, just looking around the room instead. He felt a strange mixture of revulsion and excitement. The ATM he’d found earlier seemed laughable now. Who knew what sort of things had gone on in this creepy basement? He shuddered involuntarily. Still, the discovery was worth it.

Tjuv wasn’t paying too much attention to him. He took out the envelope Ralph brought, delicately scooping out its contents.

Turns out what was in the parcel was a tiny needle. How underwhelming, Ralph thought.

Tjuv picked a strange rag doll from the ground, and shoved the needle in its head. The room lit up with a pink glow for a split second, and then everything returned back to normal.

“Excellent,” Tjuv exclaimed with almost childlike excitement.

“Sure,” Ralph shrugged.

“You have no idea what this little one is capable of,” Tjuv dismissed him. “But just as well. All you need to know is where to deliver it to.”

“Got it,” Ralph nodded as the man handed him the doll.

“I still don’t get what the fuss is about though,” Ralph weighed the doll in his hand uncertainly. “You’re going through an awful lot of trouble for a silly little kids toy…”

Tjuv snickered.

“It is kinda cute, I guess,” Ralph admitted, tickling the toy a little. “Woah!”

The doll moved, pointing the needle at him as a weapon.

“Easy there, little one,” Ralph tried to calm it down. Ok, there was definitely something unsettling about this doll.

Tjuv just laughed. “It doesn’t like being underestimated. Try to remember that during your short time together.”

“Noted,” Ralph said with uncertainty in his voice. He turned to the doll: “We’re cool, little fellow, right? We’ll be best buds in no time.”

Tjuv let out a deep sigh.

“I’ve had it with you,” he told Ralph. “You’ve wasted way too much of my time on what should have been a simple exchange. Just get out of here, now!”

Ralph’s eyes narrowed. “Happy to. Just one thing though, where is my pay?”

Tjuv let out another sigh and handed Ralph a hefty envelope filled with Simoleons.

“Always a pleasure doing business with you, Tjuv,” Ralph said coldly and exited the room.

Author’s note: The fantastic creepy barn was created by TheGreatSimphony and can be downloaded here. I also got Tjuv of the gallery, he was made by a simmer named elin11ww and here’s the download link.