"Come on, Patrick," Alexandra called as she ran through the gates, "we've got no time to lose."
Patrick dutifully followed Alexandra into the yard.
"From the radars I'm looking at online, the storm is about nine hours or so away from here. Snow should start falling here between three and four in the morning, maybe sooner in the higher elevations."
"So what do you want me to do?" Patrick asked.
"Well," Alexandra laughed, "I need you to go back to base and check on their preps, I'll be there in a little while." Doing as he was told after a quick hug from Alexandra, Patrick left.
Alexandra had to chuckle to herself. A few days ago he was made of stuffing and fabric. And now she didn't know what she'd do without him.
Meanwhile, Alexandra took off her coat and found her twin sister, Anastasia, in what used to be the 'sun' room. Except it wasn't sunny anymore and it was freezing cold.
"Four days of snow, Miss Weathergirl?" Anastasia teased playfully. But suddenly her tone turned serious. "We've got big plans for the Heritage Festival. We've brought in a snowboard, an ice rink, and even a performer or two. We've gone all out this year."
"That's wonderful," Alexandra mused, "but I'm worried that the earthquake victims aren't going to be nearly warm enough, especially in the higher elevations where it'll be even colder than down here near the lake. I'm hoping the supplies I ordered get here in time."
Anastasia made a glum face. "I see. Well, I hope the supplies get in soon."
Anastasia took a deep breath before speaking again. "That's one of the reasons why the Heritage Festival has to happen," she argued passionately in her dulcet Dutch-accented Simlish. "Enough has happened to us in the past few months that we need to get back to something resembling who we are. And this festival is a good way to do that."
Alexandra shook her head in disbelief. Sometimes, she decided, being with Anastasia was like being in neverland. Anastasia was a dreamer, she was a realist. Yet they worked well as a team simply because they balanced each other out.
"Remember what Daddy always said?" Anastasia whispered. "He always said you'll lose a few battles, but with patience and persistence, you'll eventually win the war."
Alexandra smiled at that one, reaching over to her sister and hugging her. "Yeah," she remembered, "Daddy did say that."
"I'm not letting the weather stop us," Anastasia resolved, "the heritage festival absolutely has to go on. We have to show that we have the pioneering mountain spirit, like our ancestors had."
Alexandra had to laugh. Among all their differences, the one major thing they had in common was, once they'd decided to do something, once they'd put their mind to do something, wild horses couldn't stop them from doing it. If there was one thing Alexandra knew, it was that Anastasia was determined to make sure the festival went on as scheduled, as surely as she was going to make sure the earthquake victims had plenty to eat and stayed warm during this storm.
Right after her chat with her sister, Alexandra's cell phone rang. And she was fuming.
"What do you mean you can't make it through the mountain pass? It's not snowing now, is it? People are going to starve or freeze to death!...I'm sure you can find a way to get those supplies here. Air drop them if you must. But get them here by the morning, at the very latest! No excuses!"
Angrily, Alexandra hung up the phone.
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