Alpha Family Blog

This "blog" chronicles the adventures of the Alpha Family, part of the Alphabet Challenge, living in Danversport.

For more on each family member and the family's history, please see the Alpha Family History page. To get accquainted with the family tree (or who's related to who?), view the Alpha Family Outline.

Still Fresh!

August 14, 2006

As Calista grew older and closer to death's door, she began to worry about the business and the future of her new granddaughter, Elannah. She was teaching Dani as much as she could, and though Dani was an eager student, Calista knew she'd run out of time before she could pass on all of her knowledge.

Desi was back from college and living at home, and all of his talk about his new paranormal career had gotten Calista to thinking.

"Son," Calista said, after preparing his favorite meal, lobster thermidor. "I need you do promise me something."

"Sure, Mom," Desi said with a mouthful of lobster, bits of it clinging to the thick, black beard he'd grown since becoming a Medium. "Anything."

"When I die," she began, holding up a hand for silence as Desi opened his mouth to express his dismay at the thought. "I want you to bring me back from the dead. As a zombie."

"Mom!!" Desi sputtered, choking on his meal. "You can't be serious! Do you realize what you're asking!!" Desi wondered if the insecticides she sprayed on her plants were getting to her head.

"I know exactly what I'm thinking. With your father gone, I know my time is coming soon. I'll never be able to teach Dani everything there is to know about the running of the store, the networking, the...well, all of it. If I can return, indefinitely, I can make sure the business is always run properly - that this family, for generations to come, will always have that security. It's a way for me to always take care of my children, my grandchildren - and all of their children. Yes, son, this is what I want."

They talked long into the hours of the night, and Desi was unable to talk his mother out of her plan. He went to bed with a saddened heart, the promise he'd finally made to her weighing on him heavily.

Calista's visit with the Grim Reaper came a month later. The entire family knew of her plan, yet still they mourned her passing intensely. The evening of her death, Desi made the call that would bring his mother back.

Calista the Zombie took some getting used to, but the family - and even eventually her customers - came to accept her presence as part of the ordinary. She changed the store's slogan to "Undead...but still fresh!" and talked candidly about her death and "rebirth" to any that asked. Calista is pleased that she will be able to see Elannah grow up and tries not to think about the future - the one that will include watching her children and, eventually, her granddaughter, age and die.

Posted in Alpha Family | Filed under Burgundy Parish: Danversport

Calista's

August 04, 2006

Marrying Connor and having beautiful twin toddlers made Calista extremely happy, but something was still missing from her life: flowers.

Calista had been a gardener since she'd first entered adulthood and nothing made her more at peace than tending to her gardens. For their first anniversary, Connor surprised her with a flower-making station, and she spent hours learning how to create beautiful bouquets from the flowers she grew in their small garden. Eventually, there were more flowers and plants than Calista knew what to do with - the house was full of them, neighbors and friends had taken about all they could hold - so Calista decided to open a small flowr shop on the side of the house. With Connor's blessing, Calista started a small open-air market in the side yard. She named it, simply, Calista's.

Customers weren't a problem, as people whose gardens Calista had tended over the years were more than anxious to get their hands on her quality plants.

Soon, the business grew, along with Calista's talents, and when Dani and Desi became teens, they helped out in their spare time. It was a family run business, but soon became more than the family could handle alone. Calista hired some help and soon she was the top flower shop in town and the yard was overflowing with plants and customers.

When Desi moved to college, Calista turned her his old bedroom into a small, inside store - perfect for housing her beautiful plants. The more comfortable location caused her business to grow even more, and soon she found herself ranked as a top ten business.

As Calista aged, she began teaching her now-grown daughter the ins-and-outs of the business - knowing that Dani would someday take her place.

Posted in Alpha Family | Filed under Burgundy Parish: Danversport