Chapter #2: A Trip Gone Wrong
10:00 AM
The Animal Crossing Express
Destination: Tropica, Animal Crossing
Marty found himself being shaken awake during his nap. When he turned to his right, he saw his old buddy Rover the cat.
"Hiya, Marty! Good to see ya!" Rover cheerfully greeted him before sitting down next to the boy.
"Oh, hi, Rover. Long time no see," Marty returned the greeting.
"You goin' to Tropica? So am I!" the cat said before Marty could answer. He had a habit (some think of it as a bad habit) of guessing the destinations of train passengers. What made it a bad habit was that he often got the town wrong! But, luckily for the feline, he was right this time.
"Yup. I just thought it was high time for a little vacation," replied Marty. "You're going there too?"
"Uh huh! Even I settle down in some places, though not for very long! Tropica is the perfect place for some R&R!"
The two of them sat and talked about things like the turnip market and construction of new towns. Marty had just told Rover about the hilarious news edition when the train stopped for coal about halfway to Tropica. Some animals stepped off the train while others climbed on. Then Rover decided to go into town to talk with some of his friends before the train left. A few minutes later, the cat returned with a strange, almost creepy grin on his face.
Rover, still grinning, turned to Marty and said, "Hi there! May I sit here? I promise I won't fall asleep and drool on your shirt."
Marty wanted to say, "What's the matter, Rover? You lost your mind or somethin'?", but he didn't. Instead, he cocked one eyebrow and said cautiously, "You okay, Rover?"
The cat's expression didn't change. He just sat down next to Marty and said, "Thanks! It's good to know there are plenty of nice people in the world! By the way, what's your name?"
Marty knew all about Rover's guessing habit, but nobody had ever mentioned memory loss! "Uumm…don't you remember? I'm Marty, one of your best buddies?"
"Hmm…Marty…that's one odd name! But my opinion doesn't matter. Do you like the name Marty?"
Marty lost his temper. "Of course I do! I can't believe you don't remember my name! You called it unique when we first met! Have you lost your memory?"
Rover just ignored him. "So, where are you headed?"
"I told you almost 15 minutes ago, tuna brain! I'm going to Tropica!"
"Insanity? I love that place!"
Marty didn't know that Insanity was the name of a town at the time, so he thought that Rover really had lost his marbles!
"You're insane, ya know that?" The boy stood up and stomped away from Rover out of the car onto the train's caboose. He folded his arms and stared at the train tracks, trying hard to calm down and find a reason for the cat's weird behavior. Suddenly he heard footsteps and looked up. His eyes widened when he saw that it was Rover. He hadn't heard the door open, so how was he out here?
"Hey, Marty, I'm back!" Rover called out. When he saw the confused look on Marty's face, he asked, "What's the matter?"
"I thought I saw you in the train car. He kept asking the questions you said when we first met, and he thinks I'm headed for a supposed town called Insanity."
Rover's smile disappeared, and he groaned. "Oh no. Not him."
The train had started moving again, so Marty had to shout. "What? You know this guy?"
"Unfortunately, yes. His name's Drover, and he's been mimicking me ever since we met."
"Drover? Dumb name for a cat."
"Many people have met him and mistaken him for me. Because of his stupidity, my reputation is terrible!"
Suddenly the door opened, and the cat called Drover walked through; he was still grinning! "Hey, Marty, I just wanted to remind you that we're passing Insanity, and you're gonna miss it! And did I tell you that I love that place?"
"I'm going to Tropica, not Insanity!" shouted Marty.
Completely ignoring Rover, Drover walked up to the boy and said louder, "You're going to miss your stop!"
"Leave me alone!" was the reply.
Then the idiotic cat did something unexpected: he shoved Marty off the platform! As he fell, he could hear the dumb cat's voice saying, "Welcome to Insanity, and enjoy your stay! Mwhahahahahahahahahaaa! …Meow."
The boy made contact with the ground, and started rolling uncontrollably down a steep slope. After crying "ouch" at least ten times, he came to rest in a thick gathering of trees. He sat up with a loud groan and checked to see if anything was broken. Miraculously, he only had a few cuts and bruises. He stood up and looked up the hill from where he had come. There was no going back up it, he knew for certain.
"If I ever lay eyes on that dipstick cat again, he'll see how much he likes it when he gets thrown off a train going at least 40 miles an hour!" Marty grumbled. The image of Drover falling down the hill made him smile, but not for long. Overcome with frustration, he sighed and said, "So much for a vacation."
Seeing only one way to go, he marched through the trees until he made out a small trail leading away from the train tracks. The path looked very old and rarely used. Marty barely cared, just so long as it led to civilization. He continued following it, and it finally led to a large archway with the red letters "Welcome to Insanity" on the top. The boy then realized that the town Drover had talked about was real.
I hope it has a train station, Marty thought.
An old wooden gate blocked the entrance, but Marty just climbed over it and trotted on down the path, hoping that he could find his way back home or to Tropica.
But he didn't notice the sign written on the gate that read:
"Notice: This town has been closed to due to the loss of sanity in the leaders of Insanity, hence its name. Only the mentally ill and the eccentric are allowed to reside here. All other villagers must never enter here or they may just be driven insane by the villagers and be exiled to this residence forever! (Written by the Animal Crossing Department of Safety and the Animal Crossing Mental Illness Association.)
Two words could sum up the situation Marty was unknowingly walking into: uh oh.