In my tent – lost
and alone in this strange town – I had a dream. I felt sure I was
in the garden behind my home. My real
home. A woman knelt in the grass, cradling something in soft,
dry soil.
“What are you
doing?” I called to her.
Without turning, she
moved aside for me to see the object in the ground.
Striking up, towards the sky, was a tiny sapling bursting out of the soil.
Striking up, towards the sky, was a tiny sapling bursting out of the soil.
“One day,” she
said, “this tree will be tall and strong. We need never be poor,
hungry or sad again – as long as we take care of this tree.”
I said, “That's
silly – money doesn't grow on trees.”
She laughed; a dainty,
delicate laugh that caught in the breeze and drifted away over the
garden boundary. She said, “But of course it does!”
I cried out as she
turned toward me. Framed within wispy, golden curtains of hair was a
perfect, featureless dome. The woman had no face.
My shock woke me. The
sides of the tent rippled in the morning breeze. With a feeling of
dread I remembered where I was.
“How much for a
ticket home?” I asked him, bounding up the steps.
“Trains are free,”
he replied with a feigned air of sagacity. “All day – every
day...”
“Good job!” I
said, turning out my empty pockets as a joke, “money doesn't grow
on trees, eh?”
He said nothing.
I gave a nervous
cough, asking, “When is the next one? Can you let me onto the
platform?”
“The next train
should be arriving any minute now.” He extended a hand. “If I
could just see your Town Pass Card?”
“Town Pass Card?”
I said, becoming angry. It felt to me like another trick to keep me
here.
He pointed a laconic,
leathery finger in the direction of the station door. “Go see
Isabelle in the Town Hall. She'll have it.”
I gasped in
frustration, about to challenge this officious gatekeeper of my
freedom. But, at that moment, I felt a soft rumble underfoot. There
was a train coming!
The platform barrier
wasn't high. I reckoned I could be over it and through the train
doors in little time. It was risky, but better than a confrontation
with Isabelle. She was at the heart of the strangeness here.
My pulse quickened as
I saw the Cyclopean headlight grow larger. I tensed, ready to leap
for my escape.
To my horror, the
train whizzed by. It rushed through the station with barely a break
in its terrific pace.
For a moment –
although later I couldn't swear I hadn't imagined it – I thought I
saw a person on the train: slumped in a seat, unconscious. A cat-like
figure was watching them from across the aisle. Before I could see
clearly, the train roared away into the distance.
“It didn't stop!”
I shouted, turning to the guard in frustration, “why didn't it
stop?”
The guard shrugged. “I
guess that wasn't your train.”
Anger burned my eyes
as I trudged back to the Town Hall. Without knocking, I pushed open
the door and marched inside.
Isabelle was sitting
behind her desk, smiling jovially.
“So!” she
inquired, either ignoring or oblivious to my mood, “did you find
the perfect spot to call home?”
I grunted in reply.
“I'm very happy to
hear that! You’re in temporary housing for now, right? I do hope
your house is completed soon. Living in a tent can be very
tiring.”
Isabelle had my file
open on the Town Hall counter again. “Please, take this,” she
said, producing a small card from the file. “This is your very own
Town Pass Card.”
I stared. This seemed
too easy. I had anticipated elaborate demands from Isabelle in return
for the precious card. “Just like that?” I asked.
“It's all yours.
With that you can visit other towns.”
“I can leave?” I
exclaimed.
Isabelle looked at me
as if I had said something odd. “Of course you can leave,” she
laughed. “Why, you aren't a prisoner.”
I
gripped the card tightly. This was my lifeline, my ticket out.
As
I made to leave, Isabelle said, “One more item, Mr King...? Would
you participate in a ceremony to commemorate your arrival?
We'd like for you to plant a tree...”
“A tree?” A
feeling of sick dread came as my dream flooded back.
“It should be a very
memorable experience...” She studied my face. Had she
expected a reaction?
“What, now?” I
asked, my heart beating faster and faster.
“It would be best.”
Her gaze shifted to where I was grasping the card. “In any case,
you'll need a photo on that Card before you can use the train.
There's a booth in town. It's only 500 bells.”
My head swam and I
could feel my pulse in my ears. “Bells?” I asked, fighting the
nausea.
“Everything costs
money, Mr King? Don't they have money where you come from?”
“I see... I'm not
sure I have any...”
“Oh, you'll have
some bells in no time, I'm sure!” Isabelle barked, cheerily. “Even
if you don't, you can always shake a tree!”
I shook my head, as
much to fight the dizziness as in defiance. “That's silly!” I
protested, “Money doesn't grow on trees!”
Isabelle regarded me
with a confused look, then laughed. “But of course it does!”
And with that, my
world went black.
