A/N: Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? I could post some long description of senior year and how I had a really busy life, but...eh. Anyway, it's summer now, so I actually have time to write stuff. Yay! :D
As the train continued its smooth journey to my destination, I kept nearly the same seating position: my hands were folded and in my lap, and my head was turned so that I could watch the breathtaking scenery go by. The warm August sun seemed to make the light blue sky look even brighter and clearer; it shone on me, too, creating thick lines of light on different parts of my body. With the passing of each pine tree, more and more thoughts of my new home arose in my mind.
Smiling to myself slightly, I wondered if, perhaps, the town would be as gorgeous as I kept telling myself it was going to be. I certainly hoped so. Would the people there be friendly? I hoped for that, too. Would I have a great time? Now, that was one thing I really hoped for.
At that moment, nothing else existed except for my daydream: a beautiful town, telling mom how much I loved it there, maybe sipping some iced tea with some friends... Wait, I thought, I don't even like iced tea.
Currently 15 years old, I had light brown hair that went down to my shoulders and brown, almond-shaped eyes. Since early August was typically a scorching time of year, I had opted to wear a light purple picnic tee, gray skirt, brown and white striped socks, and brown shoes; as far as the socks were concerned, I hadn't originally planned on wearing them, but considering that the interior of places could have potentially been cold, I decided to wear them anyway. Then again, when does life ever turn out in the way you plan it?
"Excuse me! I have a quick question for you!"
My fantasy disappeared from my mind, and I rapidly turned towards the source of the voice, which was presumably male. "Yes?" I asked abruptly.
"It is now 2:23 p.m. on August 9th, 2013, right?" Light footsteps followed; it seemed that the inquisitor was approaching me.
"Er, hold on a second..." I glanced down at my watch. "...Yes," I answered as I gradually looked up at the other creature, "that's..." When I saw what the figure was, my sentence trailed off, and all I could do was stare at it.
The strange figure that now stood in front of me, smiling like someone who had just won the lottery, was a cat. Now, to some people, seeing a cat on a train might not be so abnormal; however, this particular cat...this cat was weird. First of all, he was standing on only his hind legs and walking around like a human being. Second, his appearance was unusual; who ever heard of a blue and white cat with red eyes who was wearing people clothes, anyway? Third and finally, he was talking to me.
Yes, you heard me right.
He was talking to me.
At this point, I could only stare at the fellow, agape. I knew I should have taken that other train, I thought awkwardly.
After a few minutes of staring at each other with the same funny expressions, I finally managed to give the talking cat an answer. "Uh...that's about right."
"I was right! Oh, good! This watch of mine, it gets thrown off really easily sometimes!" he said. "...I'm just gonna plop down in the seat across from you. If you don't mind, of course!"
"H-Hold on!" I exclaimed. "I barely even-" He sat down before I even had the chance to finish my sentence. Deciding to be the nice girl here, I allowed him to sit across from me.
"By the way, you..." He gasped, as if he had come to a sudden realization. "Hold it! Can I ask your name?"
You're being rather friendly, aren't you? I thought. Maybe if I tell him, he'll leave me alone. "...Clara."
"Oh, Clara...?" he repeated to himself. "Well, that's a fantastically great name!"
"Um...thanks. I mean, I guess it's pretty cute," I replied, smiling to myself at that last part.
A moment of awkward silence later, he extended a paw to me. "Nice to meet you, Clara! My name is Rover!"
Feeling a little more comfortable around him than before, I reached over and shook his paw. "Nice to meet you, Rover."
"So, Clara..." he said in an attempt to continue the conversation. "Tell me, where are you headed today?"
"Nyrinia," I answered, glancing out the window for a brief moment.
"The town of Nyrinia?" he asked, seemingly fascinated by the town's name. He hummed to himself thoughtfully. "Nyrinia. Yeah, okay... Don't think I've heard of it. I wonder where it is..."
"Oh, right!" he exclaimed. "Map, map, map... Let's take a look along this train line..." He unfolded a map that was at least twice the size of my head.
"There," I pointed out, showing him where the town was located.
"I see! That's where Nyrinia is!" He folded up the map and set it beside him.
"So, do you get to Nyrinia very often?" he inquired.
"Nope," I responded, grinning excitedly. "I've never been there."
"Oh, today is your first time? That sounds like tons of fun!" he said. "Can I ask: Why're you headed there?"
This question left me at a loss for words. Why was I going there? "...Can't say," I answered, my smile fading into a more straight face.
Rover's expression changed to one of complete and utter disbelief. "What? You're not going to tell?" he exclaimed. "Now I'm even more curious... Boy, I wonder..."
All of a sudden, a thought came to mind. "Hm... Well..."
He clapped his hands together once, as if he had once again come to a realization. "Oh, wait. I've got it! Yeah! Are you perhaps moving to a new town?"
"Gee, Rover, how did you figure that out?" I asked, stifling laughter.
"Mya ha ha! I've got a gift! Or maybe I just have a nose for guessing," he replied. "...I mean, you know, if I had a nose."
His last comment brought a warm smile to my face. "If only."
"But you're moving, huh? That's so great! Starting a new life in a new place is really exciting!" he said optimistically. "Going to live somewhere you've never lived before sounds like such a fun adventure!"
Our conversation was cut short by the voice of the conductor over the intercom: "Now arriving in Nyrinia! Nyrinia Station!"
"Oh, hey!" Rover exclaimed. "Looks like we're about to arrive in Nyrinia."
What he said was true: the town's train station was coming into view. As we gradually approached the station, I peered out the window, feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
"This stop is Nyrinia! Everyone for Nyrinia, exit here! Eek eek!"
The conductor's announcement echoed throughout the train.
At long last, the train came to a halt. After this happened, I stood up and began walking towards the exit.
"Thanks for chatting with me! It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a train ride this much!"
I stopped. As my facial expression brightened immensely, I turned to face the cat once more. "You're welcome! I'm glad you had fun."
"Come to think of it, I've been riding the rails an awful lot again lately. Haven't done this much traveling by train since 2002 or so... Man, that's weird," he rambled. "OK, good luck, Clara! Bye-bye!"
Not entirely prepared for what lay ahead of me, yet slightly reassured, I grinned and waved at Rover, then departed.
As I stepped out of the train, I was met with another talking animal: this time, it was a brown monkey wearing a conductor's outfit. Considering that I had just participated in a long conversation with a talking cat, I wasn't too weirded out by the primate. However, I was a bit curious as to why a monkey, of all things, would be working at a train station.
Finally, the train gradually pulled away from the station, and I was left alone with the monkey.
"So...this is Nyrinia," I stated. Relieved that the roof of the station provided me with some shade, I turned to the creature, expecting a response of some kind.
"Yes! Yes it is!" it confirmed.
A moment of awkward silence later, I cleared my throat and glanced at the entrance to the town. "Well, I think..." I looked from the monkey to the entrance a few times. "I think I'm going to...you know, go now." I waved. "Bye."
At long last, I stepped outside, into the hot, mid-summer weather. Here I was: Nyrinia.
The first thing that caught my eye- or, in this case, ear- was the murmuring of a small group. What really blew my mind was the second thing that I noticed.
They were all- you guessed it- walking, talking animals.
O...kay, I thought, my eyes wandering from creature to creature. There were four of them in the group: a light brown frog who was covered in spots, a white cat with reddish-brown hair, a white and dark green penguin, and a yellow dog dressed in business-like attire.
This...is really weird.
"OK, everyone!" the yellow dog chirped. "Here we go... Ready? And... From those of us in Nyrinia..."
"WELCOME!" everyone shouted in unison.
Once again, I could only stare at them, agape.
The yellow dog approached me enthusiastically. "Mayor! We're so happy you're finally here!"
I quirked an eyebrow at her exclamation. "...Mayor? Who's this mayor?" No, no, no, no. I did not sign up for this.
"Um..." There was, yet again, a moment of awkward silence.
"..."
"Oh, come on! Quit joking around. You know exactly who you are! You told us which train you'd be arriving on!" she responded.
Staring in alarm and disbelief, I did the best that I could to keep the little composure that I had. "...You're mistaken," I said defensively. If I had ever felt any sort of determination in my existence, it was that I was most certainly not the mayor, nor would I ever be the mayor of anywhere.
Not quite matching the level of disbelief written on my face, she readily reassured me that everything was okay. "You're not getting cold feet, are you?" Immediately, she perked up. "Don't be silly! You'll be fine! There's nothing to worry about." Continuing on with the same sunny expression, she added, "Personally, I think a little bit of fear will make you a better mayor! Tee hee!"
Despite her efforts to make me feel better, her words of wisdom did nothing for me. Just when I was about to reply, she cheerfully insisted that we continue our discussion at the "town hall". "Here's a map of Nyrinia for your reference, Mayor Clara!" she chirped. With that, we began making our way to town hall.
As we went on our merry way, there were several things that I noticed about the Nyrinia.
First of all, Nyrinia struck me as a quaint, simple little town. Amongst the various things from nature scattered all over the place, five houses were located in different parts of the town, presumably for the villagers. They were all tiny, but they appeared to be comfortable enough to live in - as far as I could tell, at least.
Second, this town contained very few residents. There were not many villagers to speak of; I only counted five houses. Then, there was the dog who was currently accompanying me. And, of course, there was me. So, in all, there were only seven of us.
Third and finally, the air smelled strongly of oranges.
Oranges.
Of all of the things that could have been growing here, it just had to be oranges, one of the few fruits that I absolutely hated. It had nothing to do with the taste; no, it was their strange, citrusy scent that made me cringe.
Five long minutes of journeying later, we stood inside the town hall.
"Mayor, this town hall will be your base of operations," the dog explained. "Oh! And I completely forgot to mention I'm on staff here too! I'm Isabelle, your secretary, and I'm here to help you in any way I can. But if I may be frank, I was surprised to see someone as young as you step off the train. I mean, our former mayor held the position for many, many years and was quite set in his ways. But youth is a breath of fresh air. And exactly the new image our town needs! You're perfect for the job!"
"Well, I wouldn't really call myself 'perfect'," I commented.
"All right," she continued, disregarding my comment. "Of course we need you to get started on your work as mayor. Therefore, we must first complete your resident registration. A mayor really should be a resident! So, what is your name, Mayor?"
Holding out my right hand for a handshake, I told her my name.
"...Oh, right, Clara. Duh," she said, returning the handshake. "OK, I have your name. And next... Oh no, this is bad!"
Quirking an eyebrow at her once again, I crossed my arms over my chest. Of course this is bad, Isabelle. I didn't sign up for this. That, friend, is what is bad.
During our chat, Isabelle had instructed me to go find myself a place to stay; more specifically, she had told me to venture to Nook's Homes on Main Street.
The creature I had purchased my house - well, right now, tent - from was a raccoon named Tom Nook. He seemed like a shady character, but it was all worth it; soon enough, a small, yellow tent was placed close to the train tracks, just north of the town hall. Sure, it wasn't the most impressive thing in the world, but it would do for now.
Speaking of houses...
"I should probably greet my new neighbors," I said to myself, anxious to see what other creatures resided in this town. "Let's see here...I know there's a frog, a penguin, and a cat." The grass made a soft rustling sound under my feet as I searched for signs of life. Lucky for me, as I was nearing the river, I spotted a familiar face: the frog from earlier.
"Um...hey!" I greeted as I approached the frog, the shape of my mouth forming into a friendly grin.
The frog, who was currently standing partially under a pine tree, had to look up the slightest bit in order to see my eyes. "Hey there, Mayor!" he greeted, smiling in response to my amiable gesture. "You know, 'Mayor' sounds too formal. Is it all right if I call you Clara?" He held out his paw. "You can call me Wart Jr."
"Sure!" I replied, shaking his paw. Whether I was sweating because of the hot sun or the excitement of meeting a potential friend, I wasn't sure.
He let go of my hand. "Well, Clara," he began, "we're all counting on you. You're going to do great things for Nyrinia. I can just feel it!"
Brushing a piece of hair behind my right ear, I laughed awkwardly and took a seat on the grass. "I wish I could say the same thing."
"Really?" he asked, puzzled.
Wiping some sweat off of my brow, I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I didn't really – I didn't sign up for – I mean, wow, this is...insane. Me? Mayor? That's a good joke!"
Giving me a stern look, Wart Jr. sat down next to me. "Hey! Don't go worrying on me, ya hear?"
My grin fading a little, I stared into the distance, thinking of all of the adventures that I could possibly undergo as the mayor. "No promises," I replied, "but I'll do the best I can." I turned my head towards him and smiled warmly.
"That's what I like to hear," he declared.
That's the way it was going to be. Despite the odd characters, the unfamiliar surroundings, the responsibility, and the oranges, I was going to do everything I could to make my new life here an amazing experience.