Henry's Point was bustling with tourists.  They were walking on the board walk, trampling the beaches and paired to climb up into the inactive lighthouse.  Every summer it was like this.  The quiet little town on Lake Michigan became awash with the masses.<br/><br/>They spent money in Mary's Lighthouse Cafe and Annabel’s Antique Barn.  They bought up ice cream and souvenirs.  They fed the town, like a bear eating his summer away, in preparation for hibernation.<br/><br/>It was not all positive though.  Their clothing inadequately covered their often flabby bodies, as if they were in Florida, instead of a small Midwestern town.  They snapped pictures of everything and trampled across lawns as if they had a right to do so.  They treated locals like their personal servants and assumed that anything and everything was for sale.<br/><br/>Henry's Point was founded one hundred and twenty years ago by Henry Sallade.  He was shipping magnet who funded the lighthouse's construction.  He brought in the businesses, built warehouses and affordable housing.  His family ruled the town for nearly eight years, with different members taking turns as the mayor.  The Sallades were gone now, as was the shipping industry, but the town remained.  Fishing boats still came to its shores, giving the local economy a steady blood flow.  In the summer the tourists made up for the short falls of life.<br/><br/>On the edge of town, on a cliff overlooking Lake Michigan, stood The Rose Cottage.  It was a quaint Victorian house that had once belonged to Henry's Sallade's youngest daughter.  She had never been married, and had lived in it until she died.  For years it stood vacant, until Edna and Darien Marsh bought it.<br/><br/>The brother and sister had been in their thirties when they bought the house, but they were now in their fifties. Their intent was to open a bed and breakfast. They had repainted the outside a cheery rose color with white and baby blue accents.  They had put stain glass windows into each of the two gables.  The interior they had restored to its Victorian splendor.  They had the wall lamps rebuild with modern engineering, without taking away their antique aesthetic.<br/><br/>On July second Edna and Darien sat on their porch waiting.  There were supposed to be some visitors coming to day.  Darien sat on the white railing, looking toward the town.  He was a thin, weathered man in his middle fifties.  His handsome face had been exposed to more than twenty years of going out in his father's fishing boat.  His muscles were long and lean, from heavy work with the nets.  Today he was wearing his favorite red knit sweater and an old pair of blue jeans.  A Bass Master cap was set low on his head and the bill was creased and tattered.<br/><br/>His sister, Edna, sat in a rocking chair, holding their tabby cat Marshmallow.  She was a fine figure of a woman with a plump breast, wide hips and a narrow waist.  Her silver streaked brown hair was pulled back to the nape of her neck and curled into a neat bun.  Wire rimmed glasses showcased her pale blue eyes.  Her face was pleasant and rounded, with full pink lips.  Today she was wearing a white peasant blouse and a long brown skirt.  Her nimble fingers combed the cat out, as it preened for her.<br/><br/>OOC:  Any out-of-character chat goes at the end of your post.  Please don't put it at the beginning.  Please put OOC: before you start and keep it as limited as you can.  Please do NOT post any posts which are ONLY OOC.<br/><br/>This is a free thread, so jump in!  It is a small town soap opera and a free form social gaming thread.  It depends upon the players to get involved and have fun, though I will be throwing things in and keeping things moving.  There can be witches, ghosts, vampires, goblins, freshwater mermaids and any other things you feel like throwing in, except for mimes.