Chapter Twenty-five – 'This is popular'
"Can we go see the coal engine again?" Lisa said with enthusiasm. "This game doesn't seem so bad because I own a coal powered train."
Mr. Bergstrom looked over at Lisa from the other side of the train car. "I still have a bad feeling about this game." He said with a worried tone in his voice. "I know more of how this game is being played, but I don't remember hearing anything about warnings." He paused for a second and thought about the note he received when Lisa bought the coal train. "That piece of paper said I had been warned. Warned about what?"
Lisa joined Mr. Bergstrom instead of proceeding toward the coal engine. "I don't know. I own a train, but that warning does scare me slightly."
"Me too." Bergstrom said. "At the mayor meeting, the game was explained to us, but there was nothing said about those statues or the holograms."
"You sound very concerned about that statue." Lisa added to his thought. "Is this something I should be concerned with while playing this game?"
Bergstrom paused again as if he was lost in thought. "I was just thinking about some of the strange things I saw during the first game that was played. The train stations were visited once, so I didn't have too much involvement." The longer he thought, the more he tried to remember. "Sitting with Cecil at the mayor meeting, he started to tell me a story about random changes he saw at the Hydro and Electric Dam. They didn't seem logical so I wasn't paying complete attention. I wish I would have listened."
"Random changes?" Lisa questioned as the gears started turning in her head. "I can start to put all of this together. Burns running this game, creepy holograms, and random changes. I don't think this game is going to turn out good."
"The best thing to do is finish the game and see what happens." Bergstrom suggested.
"What is going to happen?" Lisa asked.
"I don't know, but hopefully it's better than being warned by a hologram." Bergstrom said as he chuckled. "I would love to tour the coal engine with you again, however I think we both have something we need to go do. Maybe we will cross paths again."
Lisa looked down at her MyPad and noticed the display lit up. "I guess you saw that too, and was giving me the hint that we don't have any time to see the coal engine again."
Bergstrom turned and exited the train and Lisa followed him back to the platform. Lisa took another look at her coal train as she pressed the roll icon. Loud booms were heard in the distance.
"Ten." Lisa said triumphantly. "That's twice the number I rolled the first time."
"That noise still scares me every time I hear it because I always think two trains just collided." Bergstrom joked as he walked toward the station. "Be careful and I'll see you again."
Lisa left the platform and jumped into her race car. She took a last look at the train station as the race car began to drive away into the distance.
"I can't see where I am going this time." Lisa said out loud as she looked toward the darkened horizon. "I rolled a five the first time and ten this time, so this should take twice the amount of time to arrive wherever I am going." Lisa reasoned out but failed to remember one key factor. "How long did the first trip take?"
She continued to ride into the distance as she thought about the things that Bergstrom had told her. "Random things? That still bothers me. Burns has already changed the game once and we just started. The statues themselves are in his likeness. I don't trust Burns." Lisa confirmed to herself.
The race car slowed down as it approached another set of railroad tracks. It stopped at the edge of the tracks. Several moments passed before Lisa realized something wasn't right.
"Why is my race car stopped?" She stood up and looked down the tracks. "I don't see anything." She said as she looked to the left. "I don't hear anything either." She said as she looked to the right. "This is really strange." She said as she looked left again.
The race car lunged forward and Lisa fell back into the seat. "I guess I need to look both ways down the tracks before crossing." She pulled herself back up to her seat and looked out toward the horizon.
"I can see a building in the distance." She said as she turned to look behind her. "Didn't I cross railroad tracks on my way to the train station. Maybe those are the same tracks for the last railroad station."
She continued to stare into the distance as a faint building became more defined, and started to get closer. She wanted to jump up and down with anticipation, but thought she might fall out the race car.
"I see it. It's a building. I'm almost there." Lisa could hardly contain herself until she heard a familiar sound. The race car began to slow down as a rhythmic sounds of bells started and flashing red lights illuminated. "This looks like... like... like I've been here before." She said with disappointment as a train whistle could be heard coming closer.
The race car stopped in front the train tracks and waited for the train to pass. "Wait a minute." Lisa said as a bad thought crossed her mind. "This train looks a lot like a coal train. In fact it says 'Lisa' on the side of it. Who is driving my coal train?" She said as she started to get upset. "I bought it, so I want to know who is driving it, and where is it going?"
The train finished passing, and the bells and lights stopped. The race car proceeded to drive across the tracks and approached the building Lisa could see in the distance. The closer she got, her anger turned back into happiness. "This can't be. It's a train station." The race car continued toward the building which was already familiar to Lisa. It slowed in front of the brick building and under the big clock. "It looks the same, but it doesn't look the same." Lisa thought out loud as the race car stopped.
"You have arrived at Pennsylvania Railroad." A computerized voice said from her MyPad as it showed the ten spaces she had moved.
Lisa jumped out of the race car and looked around at the train station as it was lit up by the lampposts in front of the ticket window. "I guess I should do this the same way as I did last time. It seemed to work, and I have more knowledge this time." Lisa thought as she walked up to the ticket window.
There wasn't a line to wait in this time. it seemed everyone had purchased their tickets during the daytime, so Lisa walked up directly to speak with the man behind the ticket counter. "Hello young lady. How can I help you tonight?" The man asked Lisa as he waited for her to answer.
"Which one of the trains over there on the tracks can I buy?" Lisa asked the man behind the ticket window.
He looked very confused as he thought of a question to ask Lisa. "Young lady, the trains aren't for sale. We provide a service of transporting people from one train station to another. If we sold all of the trains, how could we provide that service." The man looked sternly at Lisa as he described this. "Now, would you like to purchase a ticket?"
"I don't think you understand how this game works." Lisa explained to him. "I bought the coal train at the last station and I would like to buy another train at this train station. Let me see..." Lisa said as she looked over at the platform and the trains. "The second train over there has a 'For Sale' sign on it, how much to buy it?"
"Our trains are not for sale. We are a business." The man arrogantly replied as he noticed the For Sale sign. "Why would the passenger train be for sale? It appears I am wrong. I still understand what is going on here."
"It's a game." Lisa replied to the disbelief of the ticket man. "I need to buy that train. I have already bought one, and need the other three." She glanced over at the passenger train again. "It may be easier to go find Bergstrom myself. I'll just head in and do that."
"It seems you know more than I do, so if that is easier just head on in." The man behind the window suggested and motioned her in. He smiled as Lisa left the ticket window and watched inside the train station.
Inside the train station, Lisa went straight to the staircase that led down to underneath the large clock. "This is a replica version of the large clock that's outside. I remember this because Bergstrom's office is underneath it. I have found him again..." Lisa's excitement turned to disappointment at the sight under the clock.
"Restroom's closed." The janitor said as he set down a Wet Floor sign.
"This isn't where a restroom is, this is where the mayor's office is located." Lisa explained as the janitor started mopping the floor around her. "The big clock, the office, the statue, they are all here. At least that's what the last train station had."
"All that's here is the restrooms, but they are temporary closed." The janitor said again. "Wait. You said something about a statue." He asked again.
"A statue and the mayor." Lisa reminded the janitor hoping he would provide her with some much-needed information. "Is Bergstrom here? I need to talk to him. It's important that I find him."
The janitor stopped mopping for a second to point to the back question of the train station. "I last saw Bergstrom up at the Snack Bar. For some reason we have been selling out of nachos recently. Everyone has been craving nachos."
"Nachos?" Lisa questioned.
"Yep. Nachos with melted cheese and all the toppings. So popular at the moment. Try looking for Bergstrom there." The janitor said he mopped the spot Lisa was standing on, because Lisa turned around and ran up the stairs toward the snack bar.
Lisa reached the top of the stairs and saw the long line at the Snack Bar and many people gathered around the far end of the counter. "Nachos must be very popular, but why eat a heavy snack this late at night?" Lisa wondered as she approached and stood at the end of the line.
Several minutes passed as she waited for the patrons in front of her had their orders taken and then their nachos served. One person at a time, the line cleared out and Lisa was next up to the counter.
"I knew you would come back." A familiar voice greeted her. "Sorry, I am busy helping with the rush we are having on nachos."
"It's too late at night to be eating such a large plate of nachos." Lisa seemed slightly disgusted by this choice of food. "Do you have anything better I can have? Anything healthy or vegetarian?"
Bergstrom leaned over the counter and turned around to look up at the menu board. "I don't think we really have anything healthy." He continued to scan the board looking for something Lisa might like. "I could make you a delicious veggie burger."
"You would do that for me? I would appreciate it." Lisa got excited as Bergstrom went back to the grill and started on her order. "Where should I wait?"
"Just find a table, and I will bring it to you." Bergstrom yelled over the sound of the sizzling of the grill. "I have more game information for you."
Lisa found an empty table and sat down, and couldn't help but to stare around the train station looking for the statue. "I don't see it anywhere. If I need to find it every time, this may be harder than I thought." She waited a few more minutes before Bergstrom appeared with her burger.
"One vegetarian burger. May I sit down?" Bergstrom asked as he served Lisa. "I have more to tell you that you will find very helpful."
Lisa motioned for him to sit as she grabbed the burger and took a big bite. "This is so good." She said with a mouth full of food. "So what did you want to tell me?"
"Before I take you to the statue, listen to a couple of things that may help you." Bergstrom leaned back in his chair as Lisa continued to eat. "All four of the train stations are located exactly ten spaces apart, starting at space #5. This is space #15, and the next two train stations are ten space after that." Bergstrom explained to her. "It would be to your advantage to buy all the trains. Rumor has it, someone can use the train stations or utilities to their advantage and shortcut between them. I haven't figured out how yet, but maybe you can."
"In this game, I think I will need every advantage possible to win." Lisa said as she ate the last bite of her burger. "I still don't trust Burns running this game." she said as Bergstrom cringed slightly hearing that.
"Let me take you to the statue so you can continue your turn." Bergstrom suggested.
Lisa jumped up from her chair. "I get to buy the passenger train, and then we can go take a tour of it." She said as Bergstrom got up and led her back to the Snack bar.
"Just follow me to the back. The day the statue got delivered, our workers just stored it in the back with the rest of the food." Bergstrom joked with Lisa as they walked behind the counter and past the walk-in freezers. "It's in the dry good storage space." They turned one more corner and the statue was standing in the storage space.
"It looks so out-of-place in a food storage location." Lisa laughed as she approached the statue. "But it should work the same as the last one." She said as she put the MyPad into the statue's hands and a green hologram appeared.
"Greetings and welcome to..." The green hologram said before noticing his strange location. "Why are we standing in a storage room?"
"Um... When the delivery of the statue occurred, it was a busy lunch rush and the assistants just stored the statue with the rest of the food." Bergstrom nervously explained.
"Why wasn't it moved afterward?" The hologram asked. "But instead you left it in storage room with these bags of nachos."
Bergstrom didn't have an answer and Lisa didn't know what to say to help. "It can be fixed. We can move it." Lisa answered to try to help the situation. "I thought the point of the statues was to be hidden."
"I was thinking hidden in decent places." The green hologram suggested. "Next you are going to tell me a statue is hidden in the restroom of this train station."
Bergstrom looked nervous as the hologram frowned.
"Moving on. Greetings and welcome to Pennsylvania Railroad. You know how the ticket pricing works as you already own one train. The passenger train out front is for sale, and will increase ticket prices to fifty dollars. The price on all trains is two hundred dollars, so Lisa make your decision."
"I need to buy all the trains, so I am going to buy it. No questions asked." Lisa excitedly jumped up and hit the Buy button. "Can we go see my train?" The jumping up and down continued as the green hologram spoke.
"You are way too excited about trains. Maybe you should go visit the passenger train. In fact, my friend here can escort you there." The green hologram disappeared as the purple hologram appeared.
"Don't mind me, read your receipts first." The purple hologram said.
Lisa grabbed the four pieces of paper that printed out below the statue's hands. "And don't forget this." Bergstrom said as he grabbed the MyPad for her.
"Title-deed!" Lisa exclaimed as she read the first two pieces of paper. "Wow. I must be spending too much. Thirteen hundred dollars minus another two hundred dollars equals eleven hundred dollars." Lisa thought for a second. "At least I still have enough for two more trains. And this piece of paper is for you Bergstrom, it has your name..." Lisa stopped as she read the fourth piece of paper. "This one says 'Purple Burns' on it, and that's all it says." She handed out the other two pieces of paper.
Bergstrom looked embarrassed to read his, but he did anyways. "Mine says: 'I'm still in a food storage closet'. I guess I need to fix that."
"What does yours say Purple Burns?" Lisa asked.
"You will find out soon enough." The hologram replied. "But first let's go look at the passenger train. Bergstrom should stay here and fix the statue, or go fix more nachos." The hologram said with a smile.
"I should." Bergstrom got the obvious hint. "I guess I'll see the passenger train later."
"Meet me out there Lisa." The hologram said before it faded.
Lisa turned again to see Bergstrom. "Thank you for your help. Hopefully I'll see you again."
"I hope so too. Please be careful Lisa." Bergstrom said before Lisa left the storage room.
She proceeded to leave the train station and ran out to the platform and boarded the passenger train. "Greetings again Lisa. Please, come have a seat." The purple hologram said.
Lisa listened and walked toward the seat the hologram was standing in front of. She sat down and the first thing she could think of was the piece of paper. "So tell me what was on the..."
The hologram interrupted. "In due time you will find out. I will need to explain a few things first..." The hologram was interrupted by loud booms echoing across the sky. "It sounds like you have some time to listen to me. I can be of great help to you throughout this game. All you have to do is trust me."
"I don't know..." Lisa hesitated to answer. She still didn't trust Burns, but this could be very helpful to her. "Can I trust you?"
The purple hologram didn't answer for a second, but smiled instead. "That's your decision if you can trust me. I can't make that, but I'm hoping you will. Believe me when I say that the other set of purple holograms have already been discovered."