My Sweet Blossom, 2005

Patar, summer, 2005
mini-update "How are you feeling, honey?"

S'Ahmisa glanced up into the smiling face of her mother. "I'm excited and a bit nervous."

"I'm sure everything will go well."

S'Ahmisa was confident of that much. Somehow in spite of all the preparation, she was still nervous about her graduation ceremony. It was something different, that much was true, but it was so different that she couldn't describe to Verde how it would go.

"I can't believe we're going to be leaving Kimikura soon." Sandy said listlessly.

The table grew quiet as the family considered that in a matter of simdays they would return to Apple County and leave Kimikura where they spent so much time.

"Do you think I'll be able to fit in?" Si'Enya asked, nervously chewing her lip.

"Of course," S'Ahmisa countered. "You'll do more then fit in, you'll be popular, yes you're gonna be popular!"

The girls giggled at the reference to their favorite Broadway play.

"Whoa, I'm going wear pants for the first time in ages!" S'Ahmisa thought as she took another bite of her meal.

S'Ahmisa slowly sipped the hot liquid. It was a few hours until her graduation ceremony would begin and she was taking some time to relax and compose the butterflies in her belly. She heard a strange noise on the wind and glanced around. The garden was empty this time of day and she didn't see a sim in sight, but she heard him. She knew he was there. She put the tea cup down and walked slowly to the edge of the garden.

"My sweet blossom, you will be leaving me soon."

S'Ahmisa took a step back at the sudden onslaught of his presence. Her face grew warm as he stared at her.

"I am."

"Ah, yes, it is time for you to blossom like the dawn. You will do well tonight."

"Thank you."

"My sweet blossom, you will return to me." He whispered before disappearing into a strange cloud of mist leaving S'Ahmisa in a daze and the imprint of his touch burned into her skin.

S'Ahmisa folded her hands in the reverential pose outside the door. Her family was behind her as well as the school's headmistress.

"I ask for the wind that brings the sweet smell of cherry blossoms to us."

She opened her palms towards the sky and lifted her head as the ancient kimikurian language continued to slip from her tongue.

"I ask for the rain that cleanses the soil beneath us."

After reciting the ancient honors, the large steel door opened. S'Ahmisa bowed low before the opening three times, her family followed her example. She waited until the voice called out to her in kimikurian fashion.

"Enter, young blossom."

"Are you honorable?" He asked.

"You are to deem my honor tonight."

"Are you wise?"

"You are to deem my wisdom tonight." She replied in a low voice.

"Are you courageous?"

"You are to deem my courage tonight."

He directed her to a small humble table set with earthen pots.

"Serve the tea."

S'Ahmisa bowed low and reached for the pot. It was empty. She glanced at the man who was rumored to hold generations of wisdom. He merely watched.

"I prefer the tea from the belladonna plant. It blooms only on nights like these on the cliffs of the mountains."

S'Ahmisa nodded.

"It is best brewed with the water from the river cooled by the wind. I will wait here for my tea."

S'Ahmisa bowed and quickly left the small compound. Her family and headmistress watched as she performed the tasks quickly. The tea leaves were on a small model of a mountain and the river was a small nearby well. The ancient speech had not been changed, but for liability reasons, the school made the tasks much simplier.

After serving the tea, the wise man glanced at S'Ahmisa.

"You have met an interesting sim."

She nodded. "I have."

"He will be your protector. Relish your time with him when you meet again, do not hold regrets."

With those words, the wise man summoned the family before him and he presented S'Ahmisa was her diploma along with the help of the headmistress.

"You will travel to the very ends of the earth, bringing about joy and hope to many sims. Your home will be in many places, but your heart will always remain true. Congratulations, young blossom. Now go into your destiny."

S'Ahmisa was happy it was all over and she held the aged scrolled paper with her degree.

"Congratulations!" Si'Enya said as the family chatted with the headmistress. "You did amazing."

"Thanks," she said smiling.

---

S'Ahmisa graduated with an A and will be attending Pierce University to study economics and political science. She received four scholarships as well as a coveted internship in Simmington Hills under Mayor Sabien Cunningham.