Isabelle hated knowing what she knew. Whilst all the other villagers and shop keepers lived their lives happy and oblivious, she was burdened with the task of greeting the player each and every time they decided that they wanted to waste a part of their life in their peaceful little town. She and Rover, the blue cat with big red eyes, were the only two that fully understood that their entire existence was nothing more than a game. A mere plaything for some mysterious being of another world and they themselves nothing more than lines of code and visual such and such. She didn't really grasp the technical bits, but she didn't have to. It was enough that she knew. It was enough to make her miserable. Rover, the afore mentioned cat, had been relieved of his responsibilities with Isabelle's arrival, only having to greet the player on the train ride. She supposed that the knowledge had become too much for him and that their creators had decided to show him mercy. Either that, or it was some kind of gimmick. She didn't know, and she didn't care. She did her job, bringing the player into the game that was her life, each time facing the possibility that they would do what she considered to be the worst crime possible—that they would nonchalantly and single-handily murder the entire town.

"Okay! All set! Have a nice day!"

She awoke from the dream once again. She called it a "dream" be cause that's exactly what it felt like. Each time that she said those words and finished greeting her mayor, the dream would go black, catapulting her back to the only reality that she knew, which was mostly just her desk. She rarely went outside, but today was one of those precious occasions when she would leave her desk and accompany the mayor to her chosen spot for a new public works project. She had to run after her, for she was restless and rushed. As she did her best to keep up, something caught her eye—it was her mayor's house. She had only a moment to glance at it out of her peripheral vision, but something about it was different. She didn't have time to think about it, though. The mayor was ready to build a flower clock.

"Yes, mayor! Is this about where you'd like to place the new flower clock project?"

What do you think?

Isabelle had always found it odd how her mayor communicated with her. It wasn't in the language of the other villagers, per se, but it was somehow similar. . .yet completely different at the same time. It was hard to describe in words. She herself didn't really know how she understood it. She informed the mayor that, yes, she thought it was a perfect spot for a fountain and began to envision it. This was another aspect of her mayor that she didn't quite understand. The mayor was somehow able to share her thoughts on projects, which was a bit unsettling. She didn't like to think about it for very long, so she had grown to tolerate it and just write it off as being a normal thing for those like the mayor, those mysterious beings which she knew of, yet only saw through the avatar that was her boss. Her world went black once more and Lyoid, the donation gyroid responsible for collecting money for the fountain and other such projects, was dancing happily before her. She bid the mayor farewell and waited for the blackness to transport her back to her office.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She stood still, frozen in horror. The day that she had dreaded had finally come, it seemed. As the light from above shone down on her and her mayor stood before her somewhere in the darkness, the choice was made.

Re-create the town.

"Okay! Let's. . .WAIT, WHAT?!"

The mass murder, the one thing that she feared most of all, was finally upon her and the residents of the only world that she had ever known. How could you? Sweat began to form on her face and she fidgeted, her feet unable to stay still. How could you throw this all away? She knew that it was probably futile, that her mayor that she had known for such a short time was probably dead-set on killing her, but she had to try and convince her to rethink her decision. She thought of everything that she could. That her neighbors would be gone, that her progress would be gone, that her furniture would be no more. All. Gone. If you don't care about me, surely you care about all that furniture you've hoarded. What about your house?! She now knew what had been so different about the mayor's house—it was complete. Tom Nook had no power over her now, and so she had no reason to stay. Of all the things to keep you around. . . her mind began to race so fast that she didn't know what she said next. She didn't know what her mayor had decided to do. Whatever she usually did, she did automatically and without thought. What does death feel like?

Her world went black. She shut her eyes and awaited the end.

The end never came. She waited and waited, but it never did. She opened her eyes to see that she was once again at her desk, the town hall as bright and quiet as usual. She looked around for confirmation. This doesn't feel like death. She walked over to the window and peered out of it. The sky above was as clear and pure as a sapphire, the grass green and alive with the summer season. There were only two animals outside, one of which she had never seen. Her head felt foggy. Did. . .did she change her mind? Did I tell her that someone new had moved to town? She tried to think, but it was all just one big blur. She saw someone who looked like the mayor, but not exactly. This person was a girl, as her mayor was, but her hair color, hair style, and clothing were all different. She couldn't see her eyes clearly. What's going on? Was this another aspect of the game? It was all a little too much for her. She went back to her desk and awaited her mayor, if that was her mayor. I'm alive. I'm alive and that's all that matters. That's what I will tell myself.

She was alive in the only way she knew how to be. That and that alone would have to suffice.