Human Jewel was slumped over on the side of the train, sleeping lightly. Outside, a light rain was hitting the window, making a gentle, relaxing rhythm that was as good as any lullaby.

Jewel was very tired. Between work and college, she'd had a busy school year. The stress had finally gotten to her. Everybody had noticed it, her family, her roommates, and her friends. Even her spring semester teachers had noticed a dramatic slip in her grades, and rather than sign her up for summer classes, her adviser had recommended she take the summer off from work and go somewhere quiet and peaceful. Jewel had tried to argue that she didn't know anywhere peaceful and quiet, but the adviser had called up an old friend and referred her to a quiet little place called Animal Town.

"Animal Town," the adviser had said. "I used to live there when I was young. It's a nice, quiet little burg by the beach. It's the kind of place where you can spend a day lying on the grass, watching the clouds go by. Everybody there is very friendly. Look, I'll get you registered for your fall classes, and when you come back at the end of August you'll be a new woman."

Despite not knowing anyone in Animal Town, or even where Animal Town actually was, Jewel had resigned herself to the train. She wasn't looking forward to it, but if she stayed at college all summer all the people would ask her about was why she didn't go to Animal Town. Even her job, after hearing that she'd been offered a trip, had immediately given her the summer off and ushered her out the door, despite her trying to say she'd turned it down.

So here she sat, dozing on the side of the train. The glass felt nice and cool against her face, and she snuggled a bit closer to it in her sleep. The sound of footsteps down the aisle slowly woke her up. That's strange, she thought, it sounds like claws on hardwood. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and found herself staring into the gigantic eyes of a person-shaped black and white cat.

"Oh, hi," said the cat, "is it... um, 1:37 on June 6?"

Jewel looked at him for a minute, trying to decide if she was still dreaming or not. "Um, yes," she said at last.

"Really? Oh, thanks, you're a big help." And then he laughed, "Mya ha ha ha ha ha ha howr!" Just like a cat would laugh. Except... cats don't laugh. Do they? His movements, especially in the mouth, were so realistic that it couldn't be a mask- costume mouth movement and lip-synch hadn't even been perfected yet, much less made afordable.

"So," said the cat, "do you mind if I sit here? I promise I won't fall asleep, tumble over, and start drooling on your shirt."

How kind of you. "No, go ahead," said Jewel.

"Say, thanks!" He hopped up and sat down. "No one else has an empty seat for me. I'm sure glad someone friendly like you had a seat to spare. Say, you aren't a psycho, are you? Just kidding! Mya ha ha! So, what's your name."

"... It's Jewel," said Jewel, who had decided to roll with it.

"Jewel? Hm, now that's an odd name," said the cat. "Not that my opinion matters. What matters is that you like it. My name is Rover," he added as an afterthought. "So, since we're sitting here, having a friendly talk on the train, then you won't mind me asking, where are you headed?"

"Animal Town," said Jewel. Something was slowly dawning on her.

"Oh, I know that place!" said Rover. "It's one of my favorite vacation spots."

"Yeah," said Jewel. "I'm headed there for vacation."

"That's great," said Rover. "So you must know someone there, then?"

"Um... no, actually."

"Oh. Well, then, where are you staying?"

"Well... I don't know," Jewel admitted- she hadn't really discussed that part with her adviser.

"What?" Rover yelped. "You don't know where you're moving to? Are you out of your tree? Well, then, it's settled. We've got to find you a place to live."

"I'm actually not moving there, you see, I'm just-"

"There's this buddy of mine who runs a shop in Animal Town! I'll just give him a call. You wait right here!" Rover hopped off the seat and went off to the travel phones. Jewel watched him go, and then looked around the car for the first time. When she'd boarded, it was empty. Now it had a few people sitting around. No, not people- animals. A boar woman was battling fatigue a few seats away. A white cat was sitting two seats in front of Jewel with her back to her. A dejected-looking otter in a suit with a briefcase.

Was there really a place where the animals lived like people?

Rover came back and hopped right back into his seat. "Good news," said Rover, "My buddy says that he's got a few houses for sale that you can stay in, real cheap, too! He hasn't been able to rent them, so he's happy to let you in. How much money do you have?"

"Um... it depends if there's an ATM in town. I don't carry a lot of cash."

"Oh, really?" Rover looked sad. "No wonder you look so helpless."

"Now wait a minute-"

"They say money makes the world go 'round! And what goes around comes around! Mya ha ha ha ha... wait, I've confused myself again... Oh well. Look, we're pulling up to Animal Town! Did I mention I love this place? Well, this is where you get off. Well, I'll see you around. Nice talking with you! And remember, things are never as bad as they seem. Hey, maybe we'll run into each other again sometime!"

Jewel got up and headed for the train's exit, one eye on Rover all the time. What a strange fellow. As she left the train, she noticed that, while she wasn't the only passenger on board, she really was the only human on board. With the discovery of animal people, and the lack of foresight to book a place to stay, Jewel wondered what else her adviser hadn't gone over with her.

The train slowed and slowed, and finally stopped at a tiny little train station by a cliff. A short monkey porter opened the door, calling, "Animal Town! Now arriving at Animal Town! Eek, eek! Watch your step!" Jewel was off the train watching it pull away when she realized she didn't have any luggage. Okay, that one she couldn't blame on anyone else.

Jewel stepped off the station and onto the dirt path of the town. It was a cozy, country sort of place with a lot of trees. She could see a few buildings peeking up from above the foliage, and to the south was the sea. The grass was green and fresh, the kind of grass you had to work for in the city but that just happened out in the country. The air smelled like wet leaves and salty breeze. Right away Jewel could feel herself relax, and began to understand why her adviser had told her to come here, of all places.

"Excuse me!" she heard someone call. Jewel looked for the source of the voice, and it was a large raccoon running towards her, flagging her down. Aaand, there goes the understanding. "Hey, you there! Yes, you!" He reached her, and stopped, catching his breath. "Heh... heh... hoo. Would your name happen to be Jewel?"

"Yeah," said Jewel, "how did you-"

"I just got off the phone with a friend of mine," said the raccoon. "He says you're in need of a place to stay."

"Oh. Rover, from the train?"

"Yes. I tried to be here to meet you, but I'm not in the best shape of my life." He held out a paw. "Name's Tom Nook. I'm the local businessman."

Jewel shook his hand- er, paw. "It's nice to meet you," she said.

"So, I hear you're in need of a place to live."

"Only for the summer," said Jewel.

"Well, I've got four wonderful properties here in Animal Town. Look around, take your pick! You can even move in right away, they're all ready. As soon as you decide what house is right for you, we'll talk about payment."

There were four houses, all right- four tiny, one room shacks stuck in various places throughout the town. No wonder he couldn't sell them, she thought. Nook smoothed that over with, "Oh, don't worry, you won't be spending too much time inside. There's so much to do in Animal Town. And once we're settled up with your payment, we can talk upgrading and expanding. Don't worry, you'll be right at home here."

The only real difference between the houses was the location- there was a beachfront home, one by the East natural wall of town, one on the west end of the town cliff, and one by the river and waterfall. The sound the water made falling into the pond was so soothing and pretty that Jewel picked that one right away. A waterfall estate, she thought, would be a wonderful place to sleep for the summer.

"I like this one," she said proudly, as if the house was her own accomplishment.

"Excellent choice!" said Tom Nook. "Oh, you'll love this one. Just a few decorations, maybe a nice carpet, and it will feel like home in no time. You might want to even pop into your neighbor's houses to get some ideas for your own interior designs. But be sure not to touch their things! Of course, no one would notice if you just nudged something over a little. Whoa ho ho ho ho ho! Of course, you can move your own furniture as much as you like- but you'll have to supply it yourself. You can't expect me to build the house and furnish it too, now, can you?"

"I guess-"

"Now this useful thing," said Nook, indicating a strange, clay statue by the door, "is your own personal Gyroid Assistant. This does come with the house. He's most useful. You can teach him to tell your neighbors when you're out, or just teach him to tell your neighbors that you are out, should you decide you don't feel up to company. Whoa ho ho ho ho ho!"

Jewel glanced at it, that strange fire-hydrant shaped thing with big, empty eyes, and decided to keep her distance.

"Now, the matter of price," said Nook. "With fees and closing costs, your total will come to 19,800 Bells."

"Bells?"

"Yes. You know, money."

Jewel reached into her pocket and took out her wallet. "Um... do you take American dollars? Or, um, Visa?"

"You don't mean to tell me you don't have any money!" Nook was surprised.

"No," said Jewel, gritting her teeth. Her adviser definitely had not mentioned anything about needing to change her money before she left. Jewel was going to have to have a good, long talk with that woman when she got back to college.

"Well, that's no good," said Nook. "If you don't have money, then how am I supposed to sell you a house? I can't, that's how! But... hm... you do need a place to stay... so that's no good, either. I know! You'll come and work for me at my shop. Then it's settled!"

"Wait, what's settled?"

"See you in a bit!" he said happily and trotted back off the way he came, leaving Jewel standing there stupidly, holding a wallet full of useless money.

"Thanks a lot!" she called back as angrily as she could muster. Then she ran into her house and slammed the door. Inside, she still felt like storming out of rooms and slamming doors in a huff, but there wasn't really any place to storm off to, except for the attic. Still, it was better than staying downstairs in a huff. She stomped upstairs to the tiny room, complete with one bed and a small phone. The bed was perfect for throwing a tantrum, so she slammed herself down on it and, before she could commence hollering her frustration into the pillow and kicking the sheets- she fell asleep.

Traveling is always tiring, and Jewel didn't wake up until early evening. She sat up and stretched, slowly remembering how she had spent her day but not really remembering why she had gotten so upset about it. She did feel a pang of nervousness in her stomach as she realized that she was, technically, late for work, although it really wouldn't come back to haunt her future job offers as she hadn't been properly hired or even introduced herself to him.

Anyway, it was all settled- for real this time. Jewel had decided that she wasn't going to stay in Animal Town. Being stuck in a shack in a world populated by animal people for no adequately explored reason was not her idea of a relaxing summer. It wasn't that she had anything against animal people, it was just that nonsense for the sake of nonsense rubbed her the wrong way. And this village was nothing but nonsense. Better to just contact home and tell them to get ready, she was going to spend her summer vacation at Ocean City back home, sipping margaritas on the coast of the Atlantic or something.

A phone! That's right, there was a phone right here. An old, rotary-dial phon with a long, curly cord. How long had it been since she used a phone like that? Not since she was a little girl, and even then it was only her pull-toy. As Jewel dialed she wondered vaguely whatever happened to that pull toy, but her thoughts quickly turned back to the present.

"Ring! Ring!" said a voice on the other end of the phone. "Would you like to set your town's options?"

"No, thank you," said Jewel. "I'm trying to dial out."

"Please select one of the options: Open your town to visitors-"

"Oh, a phone tree, eh?" Jewel frowned and hung up. Then she picked up the phone again and very carefully dialed her home number.

"Ring! Ring!" said that same voice. "Would you like to set your town's options?"

Jewel tried calling several different numbers- her advisor, her roommate, her brother, her father's office, but they all brought her to the same automated phone tree. Finally Jewel hung up. Obviously that phone didn't lead to any sort of outside line... it was just fun to dial on a rotary dial for some reason.

Jewel straigtened out her dress and decided to go talk to the only person she already knew in this town, Tom Nook. At least to tell him that he did not, as he seemed to think, have one new employee. And see if he knew how to contact her family. Obviously if he had a store, he had to have a phone. How could he place orders or do business without one?

She went down the creaky stairs and out the door. "SPROING!" her Gyroid said when it saw her. Jewel shrieked and bolted off in a run, stopping when it was just out of sight so she could hide behind a peach tree.

"I really hate that thing," she murmured. Then she walked more carefully back to the train station. A map there pointed out that Nook's Cranny was off to the west, so she went off on an incredibly short journey to arrive at his little country shack store. It was quaint and cozy, yet somehow it had a touch of class. There was no door, so Jewel ducked her head down and stepped in.

"Welcome to Nook's Cranny!" Tom Nook said from behind the register. "Feel free to browse, but try not to carouse!" And he laughed at his own joke. Then he recoginzed her. "Oh, Jewel! Are you ready for work?"

"No, actually."

"No?"

"No, I need to make a phone call," she explained.

"If you need to make a phone call, there's one in your house," said Nook.

"I tried that one. I need to reach an outside number."

"I don't understand."

"I need to call my mother."

"You can't do that from your phone."

"I know. Do you have a phone I could borrow?"

"No," said Nook. "There might be one in the City, though."

The City. So that meant a centralized location, probably a lot of chain stores and franchises downtown, and a major form of transportation, probably a large train station hub or an airport. Getting home shouldn't be a problem, provided they accepted real money.

"How do I get to the city?" asked Jewel.

"Just hop on the bus at the bus stop," said Nook. "But don't think about going off to have fun while there's still work to be done here."

"I can't stay here, though," said Jewel. "I came to give you the house back. I'm not staying in Animal Town and I need to go. When does the bus come?"

"It won't come until you've finished working for me," said Nook.

"No, really."

Nook reached behind the counter and pulled out a bundle of clothes. "Here- I forgot to give you your uniform earlier. Be sure to put it on so everyone knows that you're working here. It's good advertising, yes? Oh ho ho ho ho!"

Jewel had taken enough marketing classes to know that when you were the only game in town, generic advertising didn't do squat except reduce your bottom line, and she was beginning to both resent and hate Tom Nook for being what she percieved now the obstical between her and going home. Nevertheless, she changed into the uniform he gave her (reasoning that, by the time she made it to the city, the trains would have left for the day and she'd just come right back, and whatever he wanted her to do would at least be more fun that lying on the bed in her stuffy attic.)

"Here," said Nook, handing her several bags of seeds and placing a few saplings by the door. "The first thing I want you to do is spruce up the place outside. A garden of flowers and some fresh new trees should make the place look more inviting to the locals." And, with that, he left Jewel on her hands and knees in the dirt outside, contemplating whether she was still better off outside. Still, the evening air felt cool against her dirt-streaked face, and it felt good to be moving and doing something after a day of sitting on a stuffy train.

About the time she got the last sapling in the ground, Nook came outside. "Oh marvelous! You made it look beautiful!" he said happily. "I knew you would, though."

Jewel wiped the sweat off of her brow. "Thanks," she said. She was pleased with the way it turned out- she'd taken two saplings and put them on either side of the door, a ways forward, as if they were standing sentinel in front of the store. As they grew they would make it look mighty. On the side of the store she'd made one flower bed, color coordinated to make the same pattern seen on his apron and her uniform.

Nook nodded his approval. "Now, before it gets too late, I want you to make a few deliveries for me. This is good, because it means you'll also get to meet some of the residents in town." He handed her two identicial packages, wrapped in white paper with a red tie on top. "This one is for Scoot, and this one is for Aurora. Once you deliver those, you can go home for the night."

"Okay- but where do they live?"

"Ah. You'll need a map, then." Nook reached into his apron and gave her one. "They should be home by now, but if they aren't I want you to find them and hand-deliver the mail. After all, it's good customer service. And anyway the village isn't that big."

It was getting dark when Jewel set out to deliver the packages. She could easily read the map when she checked first for Scoot's house, but when she needed to re-orient herself she found it was too difficult to make out in the low light. There were no streetlamps, and the moon was very thin. Jewel stumbled around a bit slower, until she began to make out the joyous sounds of people at play.

In a large clearing of trees sat two cottages, a bit nicer and noticeably larger than Jewel's (she noticed this last part with great resentment.) A green duck and a brown mouse were kicking a blue volleyball back and forth.

"Scoot is the soccer champion!" the duck cried out. "The rising star of the Animal Island Playoffs is looking to become the youngest and most handsome sports star ever! All he needs to do is get the ball past this goal and win!" He kicked the vollyball as hard as he could. It sailed up, easily clearing the mouse's head ears and all. The mouse made a token effort to stop it, but then flopped down in the grass. "That was fun," he said to Scoot. "Now it's my turn to pick what we do."

Scoot sat down next to him. "Aw, that's not fair," he said. "You weren't even trying, zip zoom."

"Sure I was," said the mouse. "It's just that, um, you're so awesome at this game that anyone even slightly less awesome than you looks like they're not trying in comparison, cheeeese."

"Oh!" Scoot seemed impressed.

Jewel cleared her throat. "Excuse me," she said politely. "Are you, um, Scoot?"

Scoot jumped up. "That's me! Scoot the Sports Champion of Animal Island!"

"I'm Chico," said the mouse on the ground. "I'm the napping champion of Animal Island."

"There is no such title," said Scoot.

Jewel raised her voice. "I have something for you."

Scoot said to Chico, "See, I told you the ladies all loved me. My adoring fans won't stop sending me things."

"Actually, it's a delivery," said Jewel. "You ordered something from Tom Nook."

"Oh. Oh, yeah, I remember."

"So," said Chico, "Ol' Nook's runnin' you ragged doing his chores, huh?"

"Um..."

"You must have just moved here."

"Well, not really. I mean, I'm not staying. But he seems to think I am. I don't really know what's going on."

"Oh!" Scoot slapped his forehead. "Duh. I should have guessed. You know, from the uniform." He took the package and opened it. "Sweet! I've been waiting for this, zip zoom!" He pulled out a rug- a rug that was clearly much too small for a house. "It's my new Soccer Flooring so I can practice my kicking inside on rainy days!"

"We never did catch your name," said Chico.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Jewel blushed. "It's Jewel."

"Jewel, huh, cheeeese?"

"Yeah. Or just Jewel for short."

"Huh? Oh! I get it! Wa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"This is so great," Scoot was saying under their conversation. Then he spoke up. "Look, Jewel, this is so stellar. Really. I'm pumped. I gotta give you something to say thanks."

"No, no, that's all right." Jewel said, suddenly embarrassed. "I mean, I'm getting paid to do this, it's no big deal-"

"I'll be right back." Scoot said, and he zip zoomed into his house.

"You're not from around here, cheeeese," said Chico. "But favors are kind of a big deal to us. We're all nice and friendly, so don't be shy."

"I'll remember that."

"So, Jewel, when's your birthday?"

"Um... it's the eleventh of September."

"Oh! So that makes you a Virgo, does it?"

"Yep."

"That means you and me are, like, totally compatible. I think."

"Why, what's your astrological sign?"

"Hmm..." Chico pondered that question. "I forget now. But when I remember, I'll send you a letter. Don't you just love mail? Everyone here does, that's for sure. So be sure to send a lot of mail to us. You can even put packages in the letter."

"No extra postage?"

"Postage?"

"I mean, does it cost more?"

Chico looked confused. "It doesn't cost anything."

"Um, okay."

Scoot came barreling back out of the house, holding another rug in his hands. It looked just like the one he had just taken in, actually. "Here," he said. "I put the rug down in my house and it looks fantastic! I was just going to throw this old one out anyway, so here. You can have it. Those shacks of Nook's aren't very friendly on their own."

"That's for sure," said Chico. "He's been trying to unload them forever."

Jewel took the gift. "I really don't know if I should take this..." she looked up into their faces, both of them blank. "Um, thanks, I guess."

"Hey, anytime!" said Scoot. "Well, see you around, zip zoom."

"Right," said Jewel. "I've got to find Aurora, if it's not too late."

"Oh, cool, zip zoom," said Scoot. "She lives just on the other side of the river in acre B-3."

Jewel hurried away, but she thought to herself that she liked Chico and Scoot.

Jewel depended on the directions of Chico and Scoot because it was now too dark to read her map. The fireflies were coming out, though, making pretty dancing lights between the trees and illuminating the path for her. Animal Town wasn't thick with trees like a forest, but it did have a woodsy feel wherever she went.

Jewel passed a house with a panda bear sitting out front. "Hello," she called. "Are you Aurora?" Then she gasped.

This was no ordinary panda. He was pink and black with narrow eyes and a mouth fixed open, full of teeth. He was the creepiest bear Jewel had ever seen, and just looking at him made her tense up. It was quite possible that she was even more frightened of him than that Gyroid Assistant that was outside her house.

"Who are you?" the bear asked.

"M- my n-name is Jewel," said Jewel.

"Hm. My name is Chow," said the bear. "Aurora lives in the house behind me."

"Sorry to bother you." And she scuffled away.

Aurora was just behind the house behind Chow. She was a penguin, and not nearly as scary looking as Chow. Jewel smiled and waved. "Hello!"

Aurora jumped. "Oh!" She turned and saw Jewel. "Oh, hello, b-b-baby," she greeted.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, that's all right," said Aurora.

"I have something for you," said Jewel. "It's from Tom Nook. You, um, ordered something?"

"Oh, yes, I did," said Aurora. Jewel handed over the package, and Aurora opened it. "It's a new shirt," she explained. "It's an Aurora Shirt. When I heard the name of the pattern I just had to wear it. My name is Aurora."

"My name is Jewel," said Jewel.

"Have you just moved to Animal Town?"

"N- yeah," said Jewel, deciding not to tell her story again.

"Oh, well, thank you very much for delivering this. Here, let me give you something. You can take the clothes I was wearing before."

"Thank you," said Jewel graciously. She wondered if she could fit into a shirt designed for a penguin, and if there was somewhere here to have it taken in. She did need to replace her vanishing luggage, after all.

Jewel said good night to Aurora and, using her homing skills and the sound of the river, found her way back to her waterfall estate. The gyroid started dancing right away when it saw her, faster and faster as she approached the house. Jewel shuffled quickly past it, trying not to look into those empty eyes as she quickly disappeared into her house.

Once inside, Jewel tossed the rug onto the floor behind her as she walked up the stairs to her attic and lay back down on her bed. Though she had just taken a long afternoon nap, Jewel was still very tired. She lay there awake for a long time, listening to the wind outside, and the sound of water cascading over the cliff.

It was just as relaxing as she thought it would be.

Morning came, with sunlight streaming in through her open window. It hit Jewel slowly, but when she woke up she immediately felt her stomach knot up. Work. What time was I supposed to show up? Am I late? Did he forget to tell me? Am I supposed to know?

Jewel had slept in her work uniform, and she felt bad. I'm going to stink all day if I have to wear it without washing it. I'm going to stink anyway, there's no bath or shower in this house. What am I supposed to do, just stink like an animal?"

She sniffed herself, but didn't smell anything. Her normal scent was unnoticable to her, but there was no stench of sleep sweat nor the bitter smell of dirt. Jewel chalked that up to good luck and went downstairs.

The floor. The floor was different. Last night the floor had been a shanty flooring, and this morning there was a purple carpet spread all over, reaching right up to the walls. There was a scrap of a rug in the corner.

"Why is my house different," Jewel said out loud. "Why am I here to begin with, anyway?"

Not willing to spend any time near the floor that she was now convinced was haunted, Jewel let herself outside.

"Sproing!" her Gyroid shouted upon seeing her. Jewel screamed and ran a good twenty meters before skidding to a stop and ducking behind the nearest peach tree.

"I hate that thing," she muttered. Then, composing herself, went to Nook's Cranny.

"Good morning!" Tom Nook greeted her as she ducked under the door frame. "Did you sleep well in your new house?"

"Sort of," she said. "I think it might be haunted."

"Why would you say that?"

"The floor is different."

"Did you get a new carpet yesterday?"

"Um... yeah, Scoot did."

"Well, did you toss it on the floor?"

"I... guess I did."

"Well, there's your answer!" Tom Nook laughed again.

"I don't understand."

"Well, time to get to work," said Tom Nook. "I have some more deliveries for you, and I want you to design mailers for the residents in town. Everybody here loves getting mail! Be sure to play up today's spotlight item, would you? And put a notice on the bulletin board outside the train station. That's all I have for you today, so check back with me when you're done and we'll see where we are." With that he dumped a handful of packages into her arms along with a packet of paper.

Jewel made a delivery to Chow and Chico, both of which tipped her a hundred Bells, and there was one more to a villager she hadn't met yet: Lucky. Lucky lived in a house near the beach, so Jewel took some time to stroll by the sea, listening to the waves. It was almost as good as listening to the waterfall. She began to think that staying here for the summer wouldn't be so bad. At home the only sounds she heard were the sounds of the central heating/cooling unit, and outside the sounds of traffic. Sometimes the traffic sounded like ocean waves, but other times the sirens broke the illusion.

"You know," she said to herself, "I'm a city girl, born, bred, and raised, so I never thought much about what it would be like to live in the country. Maybe spending the summer in this weird, weird place won't be as bad as I keep thinking." Then a chill ran down her spine as she heard in her head the "Sproing!" of her gyroid assistant. Perhaps Tom Nook would uninstall it for her, if she asked him nicely.

She found Lucky sitting on the sands of the beach just in front of his house. He was a dog- er, somewhere under the heaps of bandages he had wrapped all around his body. The only parts of him that wasn't bandaged was his black, floppy ears, his wagging tail, and one bright yellow eye. He perked his head up as Jewel approached, and stood up to face her. "Hello!" he said.

"Hi," said Jewel.

"I heard someone was new in town! My name is Lucky, rr-owch."

"My name is Jewel," said Jewel automatically, now very used to introducing herself. "I have a delivery for you from Tom Nook."

"Oh, you're working for him? Well, don't let him run you ragged."

"Why do I keep hearing that...?" She twitched her shoulder and then said, "I guess... um, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, okay, rr-owch."

"What's with all the bandages?"

"Let's just say I'm really, really lucky."

"Ah. Can I ask a different question?"

"Okay."

"I have a bunch of letters to write. Is there anywhere to sit down around here?"

"Try the Roost. You can have coffee while you work."

"Thanks."

"It's in the basement of the Farway Museum, north of here."

The Farway Museum was large and grand, more posh city than country rustic. For a moment Jewel thought she had stepped out of Animal Town right into the museums of Washington, D.C. To her immediate left was a set of stairs going down with a stand-up board that had a cup of coffee on it. It led to a cozy basement sort of coffee shop. There was a bar, a few tables, and a stage with some unplugged sound equipment in the corner. Behind the counter, a pigeon was drying a small coffee cup. He looked up when he saw her.

"Welcome to the Roost," he said. His name tag said 'Brewster.'

Jewel sat down on one of the stools. "Hey," she said. "Do you mind if I camp here for a while?"

"You want some coffee?"

"How much?"

"300 Bells a cup."

Jewel reached into her pocket and pulled out her tips. "Is this 300 Bells?"

"Coo." Brewster took the money and poured her a cup. Then he placed it on a saucer and left it next to her. Jewel had already pulled out her papers and was thinking on what to write in her first mailer when he finished. "Thanks," she said.

"Better drink it right away," said Brewster.

"It's gotta cool," said Jewel.

"Huh? What? No. No, you have to drink it right away."

"Uh..."

"Joke's over. Drink your coffee."

Jewel took a sip. it was so hot it blistered all the way down, but the flavor was intense, and very good. In fact, it may have been the best cup of coffee she ever had in her life. "I love it," she said.

Brewster nodded once. "Glad to hear it."

Jewel worked on the mailers for a while. Brewster stayed behind the counter, quietly cleaning his cups and wiping the table top. It was peaceful down here, much better than working in the University cafeteria. Down here there weren't any rowdy freshmen, or loud indie bands pounding away, or any chatter at all. In fact, there was nothing but a soft instrumental easy listening tune playing somewhere in the background.

"What are we listening to?" asked Jewel.

"It's K.K. Jazz," said Brewster. "Slider gave me a new boot last time he was here. I like some of his softer tunes."

"Slider?"

"K.K. Slider. He plays here every Saturday night."

Jewel stuffed the last of the mailers into an envelope. "Nice. If I'm still here on Saturday I'll think about dropping by."

"Oh, you'll be here," said Brewster.

Jewel didn't like the way he said that, but she left without asking about it.

Pelly, the pelican at the post office, was just so gosh darn happy to see Jewel that Jewel couldn't help but smile. "We'll send off these letters as soon as we can. Thanks for your patronage."

Jewel smiled and nodded. She'd given Pelly six letters- five mailers and an extra letter with some stationary paper she'd scrounged up. That letter was addressed to her mother, asking her to get some information about this place. Anything would be great, as she had next to no idea what was going on. But at least she was used to walking around a town filled with giant animals.

The only questions left were 'How' and 'Why.' How did she get herself into this mess, and why did this place exist?