Chapter One: Life On Mars
Frantic sounds of screaming and galloping horses filled my ears. Gunshots ring out rapidly for a few minutes and then silence. The silence doesn't last for long however, the void of sound is filled with clapping and cheering. Jay's voice comes crackly from the speakers spread across the central town square.
"Thank you for watching the Wild West Horse Show. If you'd like to see it again you can at 5pm this afternoon. If you fancy yourself as a cowboy, outlaw or sheriff you can have your photo taken at the Photography building opposite the Saloon for just a few dollars. We hope you enjoy the rest of your day at the park and have a safe journey home."
That's my queue to prepare for the mass of people wanting their picture taken in old period clothing standing next to the saloon doors, or a horse, or wherever in the park they wanted to. Looking up I notice my first few customers of the day, a family of four wanting to pose as cowboys and Can-can girls. After handing the appropriate costumes to each of them and showing them to the changing room I begin to prepare the photograph area. They've decided on sitting in a cart with two horses in front. Great the horses have been jumpy today; it's bloody roasting so they are irritable. I don't really want to have to work near them but I have to do what the customer wants or I'll lose my job. I don't particularly like my jobs but it pays ok and my boss is good to us, they're probably the only reasons why I am still working here, that and I need to pay for my education somehow, why I decided to move to America to go to university I don't know it seemed great two years ago but the costs had rapidly increased, it would have been far cheaper to stay back home in a England. The sound of footsteps and trotting hooves on the sawdust floor draw my attention to the figure of a man and two horses in front of me.
"Hey Jackie, here are the horses for ya, I've got to go clean out the stables before the next show. I'll see you when you're on your break." Frank says in his southern drawl. Nodding and smiling as I take the reins off him, Frank smiles back and salutes goofily at me before retreating towards the stables. A small smile still plays on my lips, that man can always brighten my day. By this point the family have emerged and are ready for their photo. After what seems like hours but are actually minuets I had managed to get several decent photos of the group much to my relief as the horses were growing more and more restless. Leaving Bonny and Jenny tied to the hitching post, I finish printing and selling the photos sending the happy customers on their way.
Bonny and Jenny are now frantic at this point for no apparent reason. I exited my photography building to investigate, as I made my way down the wooden steps I noticed that one of the young children from the family I photographed before had dropped a stuffed teddy bear. Stupidly forgetting the fact that two restless horses where in front of it I bent down of retrieve it. Suddenly a loud neigh erupted from one of the now bucking horses and a sharp pain erupted in my head, taking my breath away completely causing my vision to blur. I shut my eyes in pain and I'm suddenly overcome by darkness. I must have blacked out as next thing I know a figure was stood over me blocking the bright painful sunlight but still leaving some of the clear blue sky viable as my eyesight starts to blur once more. I hear muffled shouting from the figure who was stood above me, I recognised him but didn't know why, I couldn't think of his name, I couldn't make sense of anything, which alarmed me. Someone was calling my name, but I couldn't focus, they were asking me if i was ok but for some reason I couldn't answer, the only thing I could focus on was the intense pain in my head and the strong drowsiness that has washed over me. I just wanted to sleep. Maybe if I slept the pain would go away, maybe i would be able to remember this man's name. Yes sleep was best. The last thing I registered before I welcomed the sweet emptiness of darkness was the man above me shaking me lightly and telling me not to sleep but to stay awake for the ambulance.
The first thing I noticed when I awoke again was the blinding pain that was still in my head. The second thing was that I was lying on the ground. Thirdly that a crowd of people were now surrounding me. My vision still blurring as I struggled to make the people out. A hand placed on my shoulder makes me jump and let out a small squeal.
"Easy Miss McClain you took quiet a hit from that horse. I think you should see a doctor." A man's voice exclaims, I think it was the man whose was is on my shoulder. How does he know my last name? What happened? Where am I?
The spinning jumbled shapes sharpen the face of a rugged dirty looking man became clear. He's dressed like the rest of the employees at the park only dirtier, as if he'd fallen over in the manure, revolting, he smelt vile too. I didn't recognise him as a fellow colleagues do his current personal hygiene would not be up to standard his line manager was going to be in big trouble, that's when I notice that I'm no longer at the park. I'm in a town, a town I recognised for some reason, everyone's dressed in 19th century clothing, horses and carts were milling about. I look down at myself. I am still wearing my uniform, well costume. I look like I belong here , the outfit fits in. The uncomfortable corset, and bloomers were underneath the dark blue dress.
"Miss Jackie I think it's best you see the doctor you look kinda pale and your heads bleedin, your uncle wouldn't be too pleased to hear you died before you see him" the man spoke again, he spoke as if he knew me and what uncle is he on about they are all in England . My hand instinctively reaches to rub my throbbing head, I could feel my wavy dirty blond hair pinned up on top of my head, pulling my fingers away once more I notice the bright red liquid on them. Looking frantically around trying to find answers, failing to do so. It was like that book and TV show what was it called. Life on Mars. Was I dead, asleep in a coma, hallucinating, whatever it is I'm bat shit crazy. Oh god how was I going to get home, do I have to die, I don't want to test that, what if I died permanently? No I'm not going to even attempt that but what if I'm already dead. Is this hell, heaven, that man in the book was dead I think. That was fiction this is reality. Is it reality though? Confusing myself even more, perhaps the horse did really damage my head, it could have caused a bleed on my brain. Maybe I should go with this man, maybe I did actually belong here. But I don't think I do. I belong in a different century I think. Wait what year is this year; I've just assumed it was the 19th century. As these vast number of thoughts rush through my head I start to back away from the mystery man how had become rather too close to me for my liking. He notices the panic in my eyes and starts to walk towards me like I'm a scared animal.
"Miss Jackie I really think you should see a doctor you're not well."
No they'll think I'm crazy. I'm not crazy this was some messed up dream which I needed to find a way out of and fast. Deciding it's best to depart the growing crowd and the no named weirdo, I look around for an escape route. I notice a dirt path running behind what appears to be a church, I quickly (as quick as this dress and boots would let me) sprit off into the wilderness. The onlookers too stunned to react. Looking back and noticing that no one followed I let out a sigh of relief. My relief was short lived however as another creepy man appears from nowhere and puts a hand over my mouth and for what seems to be the third time today I passed out again. Great.