The Whittaker Saga

  In the Sinclair household, Josephine is busy as only a mother of twin infants can be. Grace and Hazel are luckily both fairly easy to deal with, Grace being calm and Hazel sunny in their disposition, but twins are twins, and between feeding them, changing them and taking care of them when they cry, there is very little time left for life outside the house. Still, Josephine loves her girls and loves the time she spends with them. Josephine's busy schedule is of course affecting Thomas, who as a toddler also needs his mother. She does her best to spread her affection and time but it is not always easy. Thomas is learning to play on his own more than before, but does feel jealousy towards his sisters. So much better then at weekends when he can convince his daddy to play with him. And dinner time is also good, then he has both mummy and daddy for himself now that he can eat on his own as the twins are usually asleep at that time. But there is of course perks with having sibl...

  While all this drama is going on in Willow Creek, Anna has an easier time over in Japan. As mail travels even more slowly than it did to Selvadorada, Anna has very little word about what happens back home, but in return she has plenty of time to enjoy her surroundings. She and Omisco loves taking long hikes to the sights so Anna can take photos for the articles she's going to write when she returns. They hike through the bamboo forest, to the temple, the burial grounds, the mountain shrine... Anna already has a title lined up for her article: "The shrines of Mt Komorebi". She's visited the one in town, where she's been told most people marry, the cave shrine (that was her favourite so far), and the historical one deep in the snowy mountains. She is a bit confused as to the names, as the cave shrine looks far older than the historic shrine, but none of that matter to her when she suddenly, on a beautiful evening as she walks in the sunset, encounters the forest s...

  Back in the US, John has aged up to a young adult, and as soon as he possibly could enrolled in university and left home for Britechester. Living in the same dorm as his father once did, he arrives to find it quite different than the stories his father told. Gone are most the fireplaces and time is starting to show, with some cracks in the wall and carpets stained and worn from years of students walking in and out of the rooms. The common areas has been updated, with more durable wooden floors, and a complete refurbishment of the bathroom, but the rooms are worn and more than a bit dated. None of that matters to John, however, who is just happy to be somewhere that is not at home and who immediately throws himself into his studies. Emily misses her eldest boy terribly, but try to focus on the four children still at home. But something is different. Alone without constantly adapting after Frank's whims, and after her victory over Caroline, she feels stronger, more confident. As ...

  While all this drama has been unfolding back home in Willow Creek, Anna has settled into her new home in Mt Komorebi. It's not very big, but it has what she needs, and plenty of space for Omisco to run outdoors, something she has truly missed in the big city.  Her days are busy and filled with wonder, but when she gets a letter from Alice she forgets about it all as she sits down to pen an answer and wrap her head around the news.  Dearest Alice,  I cannot believe what I am reading! I see your words and the newspaper clippings you sent, but I feel they are written about someone else. Frank arrested? In jail awaiting trial? We all knew he liked to drink, too much at that, let's be honest, and I cannot say I'm surprised by him making it himself, but bootlegging - and to that extent? Getting involved with known criminals? Tax evasion? And that's not even mentioning the infidelity.  Caroline Doughtry? The Caroline Doughtry? Who we have known since we were born? Sh...

  1925 has been a dramatic so far one. First it was time for baby Thomas to become a toddler, and then, on the very same night, Josephine went into labour and ended up with twin girls: Grace and Hazel. As Nash got ready for work the next morning, Josephine could barely get out of bed. Luckly, little Thomas was tired too this morning, and slept well into the morning. But as Josephine was recuperating from childbirth, another drama was unfolding in the family. As the federal authorities were getting tired of Louisiana in general, and New Orleans in particular, becoming the "liquor capital of the country" they decided that a massive crack-down was in order. 200 out-of-town agents were sent in to stage a series of sensational raids, uncovering large amounts of alcohol. In such a crack-down, Frank's business dealings are exposed, and an early morning as the kids all leave for school and Frank is getting ready for work, the police come knocking - or rather, they break down...