Part V: Escapism
[1st POV through Sarah – 143 seconds later]
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After running for what seemed like several minutes, I had to stop to catch my breath. All
I could do was think about running. Running away, it was what I was doing when I came
here and it was what I was doing after I came here. There was just...no point in killing
that raccoon man, that Tom Nook. He didn't do anything, he didn't...God dammit all, my
thoughts were incoherent now, unable to think logically of anything for there was no
logic in this.
I looked around carefully. I was deep in the forest among nothing but the trees. Night was
falling soon, there was no way I could go back to the houses that raccoon was trying to
sell me. It was too dangerous. I figured to myself that I should take up rest among the
trees. I looked at the ground which was a combination of mud and grass. That wouldn't
do, so I quickly got my footing on the trunk of a tree and started to climb. I wasn't used
to climbing like this as I took noticed of a branch tearing a part of my dress.
"Dammit," I said out loud, holding the piece of blood stained fabric up.
I continued to climb until I was among the web of larger branches near the top. This was
an orange tree as I took notice of it. I wasn't sure if this fruit was native to the village, but
I took one anyway and ate it eagerly.
This was where I was going to sleep.
******************************************************************
I was standing in an open grass field, a smooth warm breeze blowing. This was a dream I
thought as I could see my mother in the distance, holding an infant close to her as she
nursed it, the sun bathing down on her from the bluest sky you can imagine. I was that
infant, held in her arms, cradled closely with affection. Within the moment, something
appeared in the grass beside us, a shadow. The shadow cast by a feathered owl, one who
was slinking towards my mother and I. He quickly snatched her purse that was lying in
the grass beside her as his beak fluttered in laughter, but there was no sound. The dream
was silent except for the whispering breeze. My mother could do nothing as she held me,
a mere tear dripped off from her in silence, the strengthening wind catching it in the air
and sending it away. A gun was pressed to her head, the piston cocked, a feathered finger
around the trigger.
"Wake up Sarah...."
I flew up from my slumber before my head quickly contacted with a branch above me. I
cried in pain and fell backwards out the tree landing in the grass below with a painful
thud. I slowly got up being greeted by a dull pain in my back as I brushed myself off. It
was still deep in the night, the moon was high in the sky bathing a cool soft light through
the branches above.
"She is watching..."
I swerved around, catching a whisper that shot from behind me, but nothing was there.
"She sees the corrupt..."
I turned swiftly around again, hearing another whisper, but there was nothing there either.
"Who's there?" I spoke nervously, my breath stuttering not with coldness but with fear.
"I am," said the voice.
A light appeared in front of me, faint at first, but growing in brightness as it began to
bathe a light of its own on the trees and forest floor around it, including me. Soon it took
the form of a person standing before me, brighter and brighter, until it was so bright I had
to turn my eyes away from it. The brightness disappeared while my head was turned and
my eyes returned to where the figure of light had shone from before.
It was a person, a lady. She was a sheep, but there was something about her. She was
partially transparent and a pale white color. This couldn't be...
"Are you... a ghost?"
"I am many things my dear Sarah, but there is no time to discuss. You are in grave
danger."
"What is your name?" I asked with an even more nervous twinge in my voice. I was
astounded by what laid before me. I had never seen anything like this, a spirit, a voice
from the great beyond. I had to learn more about her.
"My name is...Eunice." She moved closer to me as I stared in awe.
"They almost got to you Sarah, the ones who feed off greed and avarice, the ones who
indulge in their desires for monetary means above all else. But you are smart, quick, and
bright. That is why I am standing here before you now."
"What do you want from me?" I asked defensively. I didn't like how this Eunice
character seemed to know a lot about me. It made me uncomfortable, she was a ghost
after all.
"You have the power to end all of this Sarah, to restore Brighton to its original glory, but
it will not be easy. You will have to accomplish many tasks very soon for you to
succeed."
"I figured this place couldn't have always been like this," I said absently.
"No...It certainly wasn't," came another voice. Another light beamed out from next to
Eunice, taking the form of a cat. After it dimmed to a normal luminosity I realized it was
another ghost.
"Forgive me. I am Mitzi."
Eunice nodded slowly, "Mitzi and I died before we could figure out the truth behind the
atrocities that were occurring around us here in Brighton, but we both believe that you
can uncover the village from the darkness that cloaks it."
I looked back and forth between the two pale wispy figures. This was insane, I was being
handed a mission by two ghosts to save a village? This must have been another dream, or
maybe I fell out of that tree a little too hard and my mind was wandering in hallucination.
"This isn't real is it...?"
Eunice came close to a laugh, "No my dear, we are quite real, however, not in the sense
of real that you would define."
I smiled in return, "What do I have to do?"
Mitzi stepped forward with a deep look of thought on her pale face, "You must go to the
museum and retrieve the records on our original mayor who went by the name of
Tortimer."
I shook my head in doubt of doing that.
"Allow me to explain," added Eunice feverishly. "The new mayor of Brighton, who goes
by the name of Blathers, is the corrupt ring leader that is responsible for all that is
happening around you."
"What about the old mayor? Did he have any part in this?"
Mitzi shook her head, "We originally thought that all the chaos that was occurring around
us was the knee jerk reaction of Tortimer's actions, such as his new tax plan and greedy
policies, but we later learned after dying that Tortimer had died long before anyone had
thought he did. Blathers was the one instigating things like the tax plan and simply
siphoning the money to himself through the means of our corrupt local police officer."
Eunice stepped forward to continue, "Essentially, Blathers had taken control of Brighton
long before anyone thought he did. Tortimer was dead months before I was killed, but I
thought he had died the same day I did. I saw his body....hanging from a tree...."
Her voice turned shaky with distress, "...by the wishing well. I thought he had just died,
but Blather's planted the six month old carcass there for all the villagers to see. I was
killed shortly thereafter."
Mitzi stepped back and looked away, "Unfortunately I died a few weeks before Eunice
did. My affectionate partner Vladimir...," she added sarcastically, "...killed me for my
money that I thought I had kept secret, but Eunice and I still share the same knowledge
even though I had a more premature death."
I took all this in as much as I could, trying to process it. This village sounded like it was
enshrouded in mystery and anarchy. An oddity for what was supposed to be a simple life
for its citizens. It had simple homes, simple trees, a simple river, a simple train station,
and a simple shopkeeper. Well...a simple deceased shopkeeper, but the rabbit hole went
much deeper than the imagination could handle. Chaos, greed, murder, destruction...all
elements connected with Brighton in a malicious sisterly manner.
"What do you want me to do with these records of Tortimer?"
"Those records have the true date of Tortimer's death which plays a key role in shining
the light on this mystery. They're in the museum's vault so it won't be easy getting to
them." Eunice glanced at Mitzi as she continued,"After you get them you will take them
to the post office and mail them to the village of Luton which is the closest village from
here. With it, you will include a letter addressed to the mayor of that town with
everything we have told you. The mayor there was not close with Tortimer but I think the
letter and the 6 month gap between when Tortimer died and when Blathers became
mayor of Brighton should tell him enough that there was a fraudulent power conspiracy
in this village."
"Hopefully your letter will alert him to send law officials quickly. We must go now,"
added Mitzi, "But remember, the combination to the vault in the museum is 4, 4, 4.
Remember that number Sarah."
They both began to fade away, "And remember, stay away from open areas, people, other
villagers. They are all victims of greed Sarah...all of them..."
"...We wish you luck..." And with that they both disappeared completely from view with
a blinding flash and the forest around me went silent under the full moon.
Great...I've now been instilled with the duty of saving the entire population of a village
from themselves by two ghosts who died before I even got here...
"Why me...?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry for the long delay. I was working feverishly on another fan-fic which I have just
recently finished. So that means I'll have more time to spend with this one, which I'm
having lots of fun writing. Thanks for reading! Part VI should be coming soon hopefully.
[1st POV through Sarah – 143 seconds later]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After running for what seemed like several minutes, I had to stop to catch my breath. All
I could do was think about running. Running away, it was what I was doing when I came
here and it was what I was doing after I came here. There was just...no point in killing
that raccoon man, that Tom Nook. He didn't do anything, he didn't...God dammit all, my
thoughts were incoherent now, unable to think logically of anything for there was no
logic in this.
I looked around carefully. I was deep in the forest among nothing but the trees. Night was
falling soon, there was no way I could go back to the houses that raccoon was trying to
sell me. It was too dangerous. I figured to myself that I should take up rest among the
trees. I looked at the ground which was a combination of mud and grass. That wouldn't
do, so I quickly got my footing on the trunk of a tree and started to climb. I wasn't used
to climbing like this as I took noticed of a branch tearing a part of my dress.
"Dammit," I said out loud, holding the piece of blood stained fabric up.
I continued to climb until I was among the web of larger branches near the top. This was
an orange tree as I took notice of it. I wasn't sure if this fruit was native to the village, but
I took one anyway and ate it eagerly.
This was where I was going to sleep.
******************************************************************
I was standing in an open grass field, a smooth warm breeze blowing. This was a dream I
thought as I could see my mother in the distance, holding an infant close to her as she
nursed it, the sun bathing down on her from the bluest sky you can imagine. I was that
infant, held in her arms, cradled closely with affection. Within the moment, something
appeared in the grass beside us, a shadow. The shadow cast by a feathered owl, one who
was slinking towards my mother and I. He quickly snatched her purse that was lying in
the grass beside her as his beak fluttered in laughter, but there was no sound. The dream
was silent except for the whispering breeze. My mother could do nothing as she held me,
a mere tear dripped off from her in silence, the strengthening wind catching it in the air
and sending it away. A gun was pressed to her head, the piston cocked, a feathered finger
around the trigger.
"Wake up Sarah...."
I flew up from my slumber before my head quickly contacted with a branch above me. I
cried in pain and fell backwards out the tree landing in the grass below with a painful
thud. I slowly got up being greeted by a dull pain in my back as I brushed myself off. It
was still deep in the night, the moon was high in the sky bathing a cool soft light through
the branches above.
"She is watching..."
I swerved around, catching a whisper that shot from behind me, but nothing was there.
"She sees the corrupt..."
I turned swiftly around again, hearing another whisper, but there was nothing there either.
"Who's there?" I spoke nervously, my breath stuttering not with coldness but with fear.
"I am," said the voice.
A light appeared in front of me, faint at first, but growing in brightness as it began to
bathe a light of its own on the trees and forest floor around it, including me. Soon it took
the form of a person standing before me, brighter and brighter, until it was so bright I had
to turn my eyes away from it. The brightness disappeared while my head was turned and
my eyes returned to where the figure of light had shone from before.
It was a person, a lady. She was a sheep, but there was something about her. She was
partially transparent and a pale white color. This couldn't be...
"Are you... a ghost?"
"I am many things my dear Sarah, but there is no time to discuss. You are in grave
danger."
"What is your name?" I asked with an even more nervous twinge in my voice. I was
astounded by what laid before me. I had never seen anything like this, a spirit, a voice
from the great beyond. I had to learn more about her.
"My name is...Eunice." She moved closer to me as I stared in awe.
"They almost got to you Sarah, the ones who feed off greed and avarice, the ones who
indulge in their desires for monetary means above all else. But you are smart, quick, and
bright. That is why I am standing here before you now."
"What do you want from me?" I asked defensively. I didn't like how this Eunice
character seemed to know a lot about me. It made me uncomfortable, she was a ghost
after all.
"You have the power to end all of this Sarah, to restore Brighton to its original glory, but
it will not be easy. You will have to accomplish many tasks very soon for you to
succeed."
"I figured this place couldn't have always been like this," I said absently.
"No...It certainly wasn't," came another voice. Another light beamed out from next to
Eunice, taking the form of a cat. After it dimmed to a normal luminosity I realized it was
another ghost.
"Forgive me. I am Mitzi."
Eunice nodded slowly, "Mitzi and I died before we could figure out the truth behind the
atrocities that were occurring around us here in Brighton, but we both believe that you
can uncover the village from the darkness that cloaks it."
I looked back and forth between the two pale wispy figures. This was insane, I was being
handed a mission by two ghosts to save a village? This must have been another dream, or
maybe I fell out of that tree a little too hard and my mind was wandering in hallucination.
"This isn't real is it...?"
Eunice came close to a laugh, "No my dear, we are quite real, however, not in the sense
of real that you would define."
I smiled in return, "What do I have to do?"
Mitzi stepped forward with a deep look of thought on her pale face, "You must go to the
museum and retrieve the records on our original mayor who went by the name of
Tortimer."
I shook my head in doubt of doing that.
"Allow me to explain," added Eunice feverishly. "The new mayor of Brighton, who goes
by the name of Blathers, is the corrupt ring leader that is responsible for all that is
happening around you."
"What about the old mayor? Did he have any part in this?"
Mitzi shook her head, "We originally thought that all the chaos that was occurring around
us was the knee jerk reaction of Tortimer's actions, such as his new tax plan and greedy
policies, but we later learned after dying that Tortimer had died long before anyone had
thought he did. Blathers was the one instigating things like the tax plan and simply
siphoning the money to himself through the means of our corrupt local police officer."
Eunice stepped forward to continue, "Essentially, Blathers had taken control of Brighton
long before anyone thought he did. Tortimer was dead months before I was killed, but I
thought he had died the same day I did. I saw his body....hanging from a tree...."
Her voice turned shaky with distress, "...by the wishing well. I thought he had just died,
but Blather's planted the six month old carcass there for all the villagers to see. I was
killed shortly thereafter."
Mitzi stepped back and looked away, "Unfortunately I died a few weeks before Eunice
did. My affectionate partner Vladimir...," she added sarcastically, "...killed me for my
money that I thought I had kept secret, but Eunice and I still share the same knowledge
even though I had a more premature death."
I took all this in as much as I could, trying to process it. This village sounded like it was
enshrouded in mystery and anarchy. An oddity for what was supposed to be a simple life
for its citizens. It had simple homes, simple trees, a simple river, a simple train station,
and a simple shopkeeper. Well...a simple deceased shopkeeper, but the rabbit hole went
much deeper than the imagination could handle. Chaos, greed, murder, destruction...all
elements connected with Brighton in a malicious sisterly manner.
"What do you want me to do with these records of Tortimer?"
"Those records have the true date of Tortimer's death which plays a key role in shining
the light on this mystery. They're in the museum's vault so it won't be easy getting to
them." Eunice glanced at Mitzi as she continued,"After you get them you will take them
to the post office and mail them to the village of Luton which is the closest village from
here. With it, you will include a letter addressed to the mayor of that town with
everything we have told you. The mayor there was not close with Tortimer but I think the
letter and the 6 month gap between when Tortimer died and when Blathers became
mayor of Brighton should tell him enough that there was a fraudulent power conspiracy
in this village."
"Hopefully your letter will alert him to send law officials quickly. We must go now,"
added Mitzi, "But remember, the combination to the vault in the museum is 4, 4, 4.
Remember that number Sarah."
They both began to fade away, "And remember, stay away from open areas, people, other
villagers. They are all victims of greed Sarah...all of them..."
"...We wish you luck..." And with that they both disappeared completely from view with
a blinding flash and the forest around me went silent under the full moon.
Great...I've now been instilled with the duty of saving the entire population of a village
from themselves by two ghosts who died before I even got here...
"Why me...?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry for the long delay. I was working feverishly on another fan-fic which I have just
recently finished. So that means I'll have more time to spend with this one, which I'm
having lots of fun writing. Thanks for reading! Part VI should be coming soon hopefully.
