I opened my eyes. Moving lights flickered past the window. My ears caught up with my eyes and I heard the clickity-clack of train wheels on tracks. A painted metal sign raced past the window, announcing that we had passed over a county line. It read, “Welcome to Animal Crossing.” That was a name that made me sit up. I'd promised myself I'd never come back.
I stared around. The train was a single carriage; one of those services that shunts back and forth between local stops. It was empty apart from the driver himself, sitting in his regulation monkey suit and staring out ahead and a guy sprawled cat-like on a seat across the aisle. He was staring at me. I ignored him.
Where did this train go? I wondered. Come to think of it, how did I get here? I racked my brains, desperately trying to remember boarding. My breathing became shallow and urgent and I began to panic. I had no recollection of catching this train. Think, man, think! I said to myself, what's the last thing you remember?
I could picture myself at home, listening to the radio. I was coming to the end of an audio drama; some space opera about a star pilot going on the run with a stray kid. It was pretty good.
I stared around. The train was a single carriage; one of those services that shunts back and forth between local stops. It was empty apart from the driver himself, sitting in his regulation monkey suit and staring out ahead and a guy sprawled cat-like on a seat across the aisle. He was staring at me. I ignored him.
Where did this train go? I wondered. Come to think of it, how did I get here? I racked my brains, desperately trying to remember boarding. My breathing became shallow and urgent and I began to panic. I had no recollection of catching this train. Think, man, think! I said to myself, what's the last thing you remember?
I could picture myself at home, listening to the radio. I was coming to the end of an audio drama; some space opera about a star pilot going on the run with a stray kid. It was pretty good.
When
then? I must have heard the soft flutter of mail through the
letter-box, because I went to my door and sorted through the post.
Sifting through bills, junkmail and statements, one item stood apart
from the others: a postcard featuring a bright picture montage of
beautiful views, wildlife, and shops. Across the front was an
invitation that made the hairs on my arm prick up. In bold red
letters were the words: Welcome Back to Animal Crossing.
I
flinched in horror. The card would not have inspired the same
reaction in others, but I was a past survivor of that place. An
escapee, if you like. It had claimed a year of my life and I had
determined to be free of it.
Oddly,
I couldn't recall why I had left Animal Crossing before. I
remembered feeling a compulsion to stay; but beyond that I couldn't
put my finger on what had kept me there or how or why
I had left.
My
fingertips buzzed as I held the card. I became aware of the ticking
of the grandfather clock in the next room. I looked at it and stared
as the pendulum swung back and forth in its glass chest. The swing
seemed to slow with each journey, the sound becoming deep and
dream-like. A pain throbbed in my arm and there was a strange taste
in my mouth. I closed my eyes to shake away the sensation.
That
was all I could remember before the train.
The
carriage rocked side to side on the rails as I grappled with my
recollections. I opened my eyes. The cat guy was still staring at me.
“Do
you have the time?” he asked. He made some excuse about his watch
and asked to sit by me.
I
shrugged. It was a free country. Or so I thought, at least.
The
stranger smiled and asked, “Where are you going?”
My
eyes strayed to the little screen above the door to the driver's
cabin. It was an information terminal, displaying the name of the
next station.
“Io
Falls,” I said, “My stop is next.”
In
truth, I'd never heard of the place, but I knew I wanted off of this
train and soon. At the first available stop I could see about
returning home.
The
stranger chuckled to himself. “Io Falls, huh? Have you been there
before?”
“I
don't recall,” I replied.
Despite
my coolness, the stranger persisted. “Oh,” he said, “so you're
moving there, are you?”
I
shrugged, with as much nonchalance as I could muster in my confused
and panicked state. “I'll let fate decide.”
“Fate,
huh?” the stranger said, watching me carefully, “I wonder what
awaits you...”
I
opened my mouth to speak, but the driver's voice came over the
speaker, cutting me off. “Io Falls,” he intoned, “next stop, Io
Falls.”
I
got up, desperate to leave. The carriage squealed to a halt and I
rocked on my heels to maintain my balance. The automatic doors slid
open.
I
turned to see if the stranger was following me out. To my surprise,
the carriage was empty save the driver in his rail company uniform.
I
stepped onto the platform. The stranger was no-where to be seen. The
train's doors closed behind me and the carriage rattled on,
continuing its course.
The
only figure in the station was a guard, who could have been the split
of the train driver. Same monkey-suit, same stare. He seemed to have
little interest in whether I held a ticket.
“Hey,”
I called to him, “when's the next train back?”
He
shook his head, saying, “no more trains tonight.”
I
sighed. “What, I'm stuck here?”
The
ticket guard chuckled quietly and gestured toward the door. I stared
at the opening, a feeling of dread inevitability rising in my gut.
That
was when I saw the crowd of villagers, standing in the pooled light
of the station exit.
They
were waiting for me.
