Chapter Seventeen – 'A history lesson'

"This is an eerie quiet." Ned thought to himself as there was no one on the street to say this to. "I haven't seen anyone in a little while. I wonder if Rose is alright."

Ned walked down to street toward Rose's flower shop. He could see it in the distance, but as he passed Toys L Us, he decided to walk inside. "Hello." He called through the toy store. It was just as empty as it had been during his visit earlier that day. He waited for response. "Hello." He called again. "There is never anyone in this store." He said to himself as he exited the store and turned right to continue walking down Oriental Avenue toward Rose's flower shop.

Ned walked a few yards further down the sidewalk. "Where is everyone?"

Just then a loud echoing voice interrupted him. "I have entered code Tx01 into the game. This will only affect those lucky enough to land on Free Parking. Now that my interview with Kent Brockman is over, the game is now unfrozen." Burns finished speaking over the loudspeaker.

"Unfrozen?" Ned repeated. "I didn't think it was very cold out here. Maybe Rose knows what that means. Frost and freezing temperatures kill flowers, so she should know." Ned continued to walk down the street and noticed the door to the flower shop open. It was Rose, the person he was looking for. "Rose!" He yelled as he started to run to get there sooner.

"Ned." Rose answered. "You didn't have to run. I'm just coming outside to check the flowers again before I call it a night."

"That's good... That is what I need... to ask you about." Ned caught his breath before continuing. "That last announcement that said the game is unfrozen. What does that mean?"

Rose stared at him with a confused look. "What announcement? You just trying to confuse me further?"

"No. It said something about the game being unfrozen." The light bulb clicked on inside Ned's head as he said this. "Unpaused. Burns had paused the game. Now it's running again."

Rose still stared at him confused. "Unpaused? Unfrozen? Game? I still don't know what you are talking about." She looked at his shirt pocket to see the light blue rose she had given him was still there. "I see you have the rose I gave you. That's all I do, and that's all I know."

"So you didn't hear that announcement?" Ned was confused now too. "It was loud. What about the one that stated the game was paused?"

Rose shook her head. "Nope."

"That is really weird. I heard it. All of it. But you didn't hear any of it." Ned got nervous as he started to explain this to Rose. He looked down and saw the MyPad was glowing. "I guess that means it's time for me to go back to my Iron and head off to another space."

"It makes no sense to me how you got here or why, but thanks for stopping by." Rose talked in a slightly sad tone. "Can I walk with you to your Iron. I have to figure out what you are talking about. I'm curious now."

"Of course you can. It's at the end of the street." Ned pointed in the direction of the great arch. "I wish I could explain it better." They walked down the street and passed under the arch and to the intersection where Ned's Iron was still parked. They turned around to look at the arch. "There was a For Sale sign on the arch when I got here."

"I don't see it." Rose pointed out. "I've never seen a For Sale sign up there."

Ned pulled the Title-deed out of his pocket. "I bought this street."

Rose looked at him a little more confused. "Now what happens?"

"I'm not exactly sure." Ned answered. "I know once I press this button and jump on my Iron, I will be driven to somewhere else to continue the game."

"When will you be back?" Rose asked in a more saddened tone.

"I don't know." Ned frowned as he said this. He pressed the roll icon on the MyPad. Loud booms were once again heard in the distance. "Eight." Ned said as he showed Rose the MyPad. "I guess this is good-bye for now." He mounted the Iron and it started to drive off down the road.

"Bye." Rose mouthed but no audible word came out. After that, all she could do was wave as Ned disappeared from Oriental Avenue.

The Iron glided down the street and passed many side streets. They all looked the same, but none of them had a great arch as a landmark. The Iron turned left at an intersection and continued to travel as side streets appeared on both sides of the road. There was a large building straight ahead that Ned could not see around. The Iron stopped at the three-way intersection in front of the building.

"Wonder why it stopped?" Before Ned could finished his whole thought, the Iron made a left turn and followed a path in the streets to go directly around the building.

As the Iron made the second right turn, a grassy area appeared with the street making a box around it. The Iron continued driving on the street, and made two consecutive left turns, as if it was showing Ned around the square. The Iron slowed in front of the building with many steps leading to the front entrance. Across the front hung a banner that read: 'Virginia Avenue - For Sale'. The Iron then made two more left turns and stopped at the south end of the square directly beside a path into the grass.

"You have arrived at Virginia Avenue." The MyPad announced and showed the eight spaces Ned had traveled on the Iron.

Ned dismounted the Iron and took a look around. There were many people walking around the square and many people just sitting on the grass looking at the tall statue in the center of the square. "This must be the town square." Ned said to himself. "And that must be the statue of Jebediah Springfield, our town's founder."

He looked at the statue and approached the path leading to it. Halfway there he stopped dead in his tracks.

"That's not Jebediah Springfield. It's Burns." he said out loud. A few people sitting on the benches heard him and turned to look. Ned approached a bench full of people. "Excuse me. Can anyone tell me why there is a statue of Burns up there instead of Jebediah Springfield?"

The townspeople looked around and waited to see who would answer. No one wanted to be the one to answer. "What's wrong with our statue?" One towns-person asked.

"That statue has been that way since the town was founded." Another citizen answered.

"It's a statue of our town's founder. Montgomery Burns." A third person added from a distance.

Ned seemed slightly annoyed at their answers. "No. That's not the founder. That is Burns, a crude businessman."

"I'm afraid you are wrong." The first citizen said as he approached Flanders. "It was Burns who founded our great town and formed it into this wonderful square. He left behind his likeness so all the citizens could remember him."

"I am not wrong." Ned started to argue with the citizens, but maintained his cool attitude. "Jebediah Springfield founded this town. Hundreds of years ago, he traveled west through harsh wilderness, tamed buffaloes, and fought a bear with his bare hands. He ended up here and declared this land in his namesake: Springfield."

"Now wait a minute there." The third towns-person came running toward Ned and the discussion. "That's not true about Jebediah Springfield at all. He couldn't have done those things. Have a seat on this bench and I will explain our history, however brief it is."

Ned sat on the bench as the other townspeople sat on the grass to listen.

The towns-person started his history lesson. "It has been as long as anyone can remember that the town was founded. The great Burns appeared riding into the town square upon a big silver money-bag. He greeted the townspeople and asked if they liked the town he has created. They all nodded as they looked around and saw a movie theater, a comic book shop, and the city hall." The towns-person turned toward the city hall and the statue and continued his story. "Burns approached the center of the square and asked why the statue of his likeness had not yet been set upon the pedestal in the middle of the square. The townspeople looked confused, but Burns pointed towards the city hall building and said the statue is inside. Burns spoke: 'Let me lead you all there and we will carry the statue back and place it in its rightful place'."

Ned stood up from the bench and stepped forward to stand next to the storyteller. "So how did you get it up there?"

"Patience my friend." The storyteller said before continuing. "Burns led them into the city hall. They unpacked the stone statue and marched back to the town center. They set down the statue next to pedestal and Burns scanned through the crowd and selected a gentleman to step forward. He spoke again: 'If anyone has any objections to this man being the mayor of the town, speak now'. No one in the crowd dared disagree with the founder."

"Who did he pick?" Ned asked impatiently. "Who is the mayor? I need to find him, and find a way up to the front of the statue."

"Again, patience my friend." Said the storyteller. "This is the part you need to know." He continued the story. "The gentleman stepped forward and joined Burns at the base of the pedestal. A keypad was embedded into the stone base. Burns typed in a secret code and the base started to lower. When it was at ground level, he ordered the statue to be placed on top and he entered the code again and it rose to where it is now. Burns then went back to his silver money-bag and rode out-of-town." The storyteller turned to face the people on the bench again. "This concludes the brief history of our town. Does anyone have any questions?"

Ned raised his hand. "I do. I have some important ones." He waited to see if anyone else had any, but they did not. "Who is the mayor?"

"I was expecting you to ask that." The storyteller answered the obvious question. "The mayor can be found in city hall."

"Then it's off to city hall. Who is with me?" Flanders said as he wanted to lead a mob there, but no one answered. The crowd dispersed and Ned walked alone across the grass to city hall. As he passed the statue, he saw the keypad as mentioned in the story.

The city hall building looked higher from the street than when he had ridden passed it on the Iron. He climbed the stairs and saw a man standing outside the door. He stopped and asked a question he already knew the answer to. "Are you the mayor?"

"Yes" said the Mayor. "That's what it says on my sash. 'Mayor'."

"You're Jebediah Springfield." Ned followed his first question with a more assertive answer.

"You are correct." said the Mayor. "How did..."

Ned interrupted him to make the conversation easier. "I recognize you. You founded Springfield." Ned laughed to himself. "But you died about two hundred years ago."

"I appear to be alive and well, and in the flesh." Jebediah answered.

Ned looked at him, and even poked him with a finger to check to see he was real. "Indeed you are, but how is that possible?"

"I am as real as you are. This is where I live as long as I can remember, and I do not remember founding any towns." He answered. "I don't know where you got your information from, but it is incorrect."

Ned thought for a minute. "It's in the history books."

"Our history is very brief." The mayor stated. "It's not even long enough to write a book about yet. It would be one chapter when Burns arrived, helped establish the statue, then left on his silver money-bag."

"Then maybe you could help me get up to the front of the statue." Ned suggested. "There is something I need to do."

Jebediah Springfield looked at him strangely. "How do you know I can help?"

"Because the Mayor knows there is a game being played and where the Burns statue is on their property." Ned confidently answered.

"It is true. We were all told at the meeting to only answer questions about the game from people seeking that information." The Mayor explained. "And since you know about the game, I assume you are one of the players."

"I am. I went first, and this is my second turn." Ned said as the Mayor intently listened. "This is the second property I have landed on, and I intend to buy it also."

"Well, in that case, I will lead you to the statue." Jebediah Springfield said as he started down the stairs with Ned following behind.

They crossed the grass and positioned themselves in front of the statue. The keypad was on that side of the pedestal and the Mayor walked up to it and pressed several buttons. "If you intend to buy it, the code you have to enter is: 1796. This code will lower the pedestal."

The pedestal started to lower while Ned thought for a second. "1796? That's the year Springfield was founded."

"That is the code given to me by the great Burns." Jebediah Springfield said as the pedestal reached the ground level. "Now I assume you know what to do from this point. I'm going to wait on that bench over there."

Ned nodded as he approached the statue. It looked just like the other one he had seen on Oriental Avenue. "This process should be the same." He said to himself as he placed the MyPad into the stone statue's hands. Just as before, a green holographic Burns appeared beside the statue.

"Greetings, and welcome to Virginia Avenue. This property can be purchased for the price of one hundred forty dollars." The hologram started its speech before Ned talked over it.

"Let's see." Ned thought as he dug for the previous receipts in his pocket. "How much money did I have remaining?"

"Silence!" The hologram said rudely and slightly louder than Ned was talking. "It is not righteous to interrupt someone while they are talking."

"You think you know about righteous." Ned snapped back. "Let me tell you what is written about being righteous..."

But the hologram interrupted Ned before he could finish. "And let me tell you what is written about this property. I don't have to allow you to buy it. I could just say you declined my offer, and put it up for auction."

Ned had a solemn look on his face as he did not want the statue to make his choices for him. "Please finish."

"As I was saying, this property is one hundred forty dollars, and you currently have fourteen hundred. The city use tax for any visitors to this square will be twelve dollars. Do you wish to purchase this property." The hologram finished its speech and Ned picked up his hand to select one of the buttons displayed on the MyPad.

"I will buy this property." Ned said to the hologram and pressed the Buy button on the MyPad and removed it from the hands of the statue.

"You should be nicer to us." The hologram said before it disappeared.

"How is someone supposed to be nice to a hologram?" Ned said as he pulled his three receipts from the stone statue.

The first one said: Title-deed for Virginia Avenue. The second showed his fourteen hundred dollars minus the one hundred forty dollar purchase, leaving him with twelve hundred sixty dollars. The third receipt caught his attention. He read it twice to himself before walking toward the park bench that Jebediah Springfield was sitting on.

Ned showed the Mayor the receipt and he read it. "What does it mean?" Ned asked.

"I think I have an idea." The Mayor answered. "Have a seat Ned and I'll explain." Ned did as the Mayor suggested. "At the emergency meeting, it was explained to us that in the event of all plans of normal gameplay being ignored, there is a... how do I put this politely... I know, there is an outstanding order for all the minions to prepare..."

But Ned could only see Jebediah Springfield's lips moving as loud booms sounded across the square. "I'm sorry I couldn't hear you, but it looked like you said: total war."

"I did, but I would rather not explain it in front of the citizens." Jebediah Springfield answered as he stood up. "Let us go back into city hall. We can talk safer in there."

As they both made it to the top of the steps and inside the building. Jebediah Springfield locked the door from the inside. "Now it's safe to talk since your turn has concluded."