Chapter Twenty – 'The other side'
"Nothing. Not even a single note." Luann scoffed as she exited the eighth room that looked similar to the rest. "Every room is the same, and it seems that no one works in any of them."
She turned the corner that put her back on the same hallway as The Manager's office. It was the only room that looked different. It contained the Burns statue.
"Maybe I will search The Manager's office once again." She decided as she looked for the door with his label-plate. She walked a few steps down the hallway and abruptly stopped. "This can't be right."
She hurriedly took a step back and hid behind the open door frame. A sense of fear came over her as she slowly creeped over to take a peek into the room. When the single desk came into full view, she jumped back to her hiding spot.
"How did it...?" Luann said to herself. "That's not possible." She peered around the corner again. This time she didn't jump back. "Where did it go?" She questioned, but she didn't have the answer. "Why did the Burns statue disappear?"
The Burns statue was missing from The Manager's office. Luann walked into the office, and sat at the desk again. She looked around the room, and the only difference was the Burns statue was missing. She set the MyPad on the desk and propped her feet up to relax. At the moment both feet were resting on the desk, the MyPad lit up and displayed a roll icon.
"I guess it is time to leave and continue my game." Luann said as she removed her feet from desk, left the office, and found her way to the elevator.
She thought during the short elevator ride from the third floor to the first floor. The concern about the missing statue was the only thought on her mind.
"Where?" She asked herself. "It is a stone statue. I didn't hear anyone else up here. The elevator was still on the third floor." Many thoughts and possible explanations crossed her mind, but none of them made sense.
Luann exited the elevator in the middle of the first floor. She looked around at the conveyor belt that spanned the room. A quick deep breath and she pressed the roll icon. Loud booms were heard outside. The MyPad displayed a seven. "Maybe this is my lucky day." She said as several workers stopped paying attention to the boxes and focused on her.
"What was that?" Said a box folder. "I keep hearing it, but can't figure out what it is."
"I don't know!" The box gluer yelled across the room. "Whatever it is, I don't like it."
"Did you cause that?" The box folder asked Luann. "It didn't happen until you came out of the elevator."
"We never heard these noises until right before you showed up." The box gluer added. "What is happening?"
The manufacturing floor leader felt he needed to step in to calm everyone. "Everyone be calm." He reassured as he looked up at the ceiling. "This is a normal thing that we need to adjust to. These noises are expected and will happen periodically."
"If those are normal, then what are they." The box folder asked Luann. "Nothing like that can be normal."
"Dice." Luann simply said. "I was the one that caused it, and now I shall be on my way." She said plainly as she opened the front door and exited the building. "They don't have a clue." She mumbled as she jumped on the dog and it slowly moved away from the Box Factory.
The dog rode along the dusty paved road past the Box Factory and several other warehouses before the path ran out and turned into a dirt road lined with trees.
"I don't like the look of this." Luann said as it reminded her of the last ride through the forest. "I really hope..."
The dog made a quick right turn and entered into the thick part of the forest. The trees were so dense and the path in front of her was barely visible.
"Last time I went through the woods, it was light enough to still see. This darkness scares me a little." She slowly said out loud. "I don't think I will jump off my dog this time." She looked quickly behind her to check. "No one is there. That blue holographic Burns better not appear in this darkness."
She rode tensely looking over her shoulders and above her many times before the smallest ray of light shone through two trees in the distance. The closer she approached, the brighter the light became.
"If I just sit here... No holograms!" She shouted hoping to get the attention of the blue hologram. "I'm not moving until this dog... my dog... comes to a complete stop. I'm playing my game my way."
The shouting went unnoticed as the dog emerged from the forest to the faint sound of a waterfall. The forest looked the same as she had entered before.
"This looks..." Luann said as her focus shifted to familiar surroundings. "I made it." She let out confidently.
The view of the dam came into focus, except Luann was on top of it this time. The dog made the last approach and stopped at the beginning of the dirt path that led across the top of the dam.
"You have arrived at Water Works." The MyPad informed Luann as it showed the seven spaces she rode on the dog. "This may indeed be your lucky day." It said before the display went blank.
"None of this makes sense." She said as she dismounted the dog. "However, it does seem like it may be. If I ended up where I want to be... This will be my lucky day, or night since it has become dark outside."
She walked toward the edge of the dam instead of down the path. She looked over the side and saw the four trailers she had tried to break into. The signs were also there, but she could only see the back side of them from that viewpoint.
"I wanted to get up here, and now I am." She said. "Maybe I can take advantage of that. These two places look connected."
She continued to peer over the side and wondered what had happened in the trailers since she was last there. No movement occurred and no lights were on.
"I guess here I need to avoid the red holographic Burns. Blue in the forest, red here. Those things are just creepy." She shuddered as the thought of a magical holographic Burns appearing randomly at any second didn't sit well with her.
She turned and started along the path toward the center of the dam. It slightly curved to follow the concave shape of the dam. After a few steps, she noticed something in the lake that was formed by the dam. Several buoys were floating across the river to mark a safe distance from the dam, but also had signs attached to them.
"These look familiar." Luann laughed to herself. "I bet the first one says: 'Hydro and Electric Dam'." She stared at it for a second and read those words. "I am exactly where I want to be. This is my lucky day."
A few more steps and she stopped again to prove herself right. "The next sign says: 'For Sale' I bet." She was right as she proved it. A few more steps and she arrived near the third buoy. "This one said something about the Electric side. I don't exactly remember."
The closer she looked at the third buoy, she couldn't see a sign on it. She stared at it for a few more seconds before deciding to move on.
"It must have fallen off and sank." She eventually decided. "Because the fourth sign tells about the Hydro side. I remember though it also said: 'Inquire above', and now I'm above." She seemed to congratulate herself on remembering signs she had seen earlier that day.
She approached the fourth buoy and it had the sign she had anticipated. She smiled as she walked past it and continued on the path toward the entrance above the dam.
Luann arrived at a door that was attached to a shaft protruding out from the edge. "This must be the place, because I don't really see anything else." She thought as she turned the latch and the door opened to reveal a small elevator big enough for one, maybe two people. "Onward and downward." She said as she entered and hit the down arrow.
The elevator started its descent, rattling and creaking the entire way. It stopped at the next level down, and the doors opened to reveal a large control room with multiple screens and operator stations. She entered the room to take a look around.
"So many screens. Wonder if I..." She thought before a shadow crossed one the screens.
"Please don't touch that." A familiar voice said from the back corner of the room. "That screen controls the main turbines you have already seen downstairs."
"Cecil?" Luann asked as she turned toward the voice. "I made it back here."
"That was quick. Did you get here by dice or by card." He asked as the second choice did not make any sense to her.
"Card?" She questioned. "What card? It has been all dice."
Cecil looked at her and clarified his question. "It is still early in the game, but there are cards that advance a player directly to the Hydro and Electric Dam."
"I haven't seen any cards yet." She admitted. "Should I know about the cards?"
"Oh, yes, definitely." Cecil started to explain further. "The cards are very important, as they can be a great reward, or they can be a great hindrance to your game. Some cards let you move to other spaces, some gain you money, and some lose you money." He thought for a second and continued. "We were told that the cards could change the tide of the game, but all the cards sounded so basic."
"Change how?" Luann asked him.
"I don't know. We weren't told what the plan for the cards was. Just the fact that they may be important later in the game." Cecil continued. "From the sound of it, I would just avoid the card spaces."
"How can I do that?" She asked as it seemed Cecil was very willing to teach her.
"There are three spaces of each type of card, so six spaces total." He answered her question. "But I don't remember exactly where they are located. I just remember this dam is spaces #12 and #28. So let me ask a question before I go..."
"Go where?" Luann seemed concerned.
"After you buy the Hydro side of the dam, my job is done here. First, let me ask what you rolled to get here." Cecil said sadly.
"I rolled a seven this turn..." Luann answered but Cecil explained.
"Twelve to get there. Twenty-eight minus seven. I got it." He said as the light bulb came on. "You are probably the furthest ahead at the moment. Twelve and nine on the first turn, then seven to get here."
"Yes, but why does that matter?" She said as Cecil motioned for her to remain quiet during his thinking.
"Twelve and nine put you over half way around the world. There are only forty spaces before you reach the beginning again, and continue to go around as many times as needed." Cecil said as he turned toward the empty spot on the wall. "Imagine this world as a flat board. There are only forty spaces, divided into ten spaces on each side. Let me draw you a crude map."
"Why are you helping me so much?" She asked as he started to scribble on a piece of paper.
"You seem determined to win, and besides after I leave here, I can disappear for a while. I was placed here as the mayor to watch over the statues until someone came to both of them." Cecil said while he finished his drawing. "Keep this with you. It will help you. Track where you have been and where you are going, and especially who owns which space. You have an advantage now."
"A map is hardly an advantage." She scoffed at his statement. "It helps, but not an advantage."
Cecil hesitated before handing her the map. "There are so many rules you still don't know about this game. Most are trial and error to find them, but I'm willing to help, if you are willing to listen."
"I'm willing to listen. Are you willing to teach?" She asked as he started to walk past her.
"It's not my game. I'm just being nice and passing on information you won't be told directly." Cecil said as he motioned for her to follow. He led her to the back side of the main screens and pointed to the Burns statue.
"Were you polishing this one too?" Luann politely asked as she approached it and stopped just before placing the MyPad into its hands.
"I just polish them for something to do. Now it is not necessary. The statue won't be here the next time you look for it." He explained much to the relief of Luann. "You look like you have seen a ghost."
"I have. At the Box Factory." She took a deep breath before finishing. "I was snooping around and went back to the room it was in, but it wasn't there. It freaked me out."
"They move." He simply said. "When the original transaction is done. They move."
"To where?" Luann worriedly asked.
"Somewhere... It is to keep the game from being repetitive. A new adventure every turn. You could go back to the turbine room and look for yourself. Here is the master-key to the elevator to get it to travel between the turbine room and the control room. An important advantage to you coupled with the map."
Luann started to say something, but Cecil interrupted her thoughts. "But... how... what...?"
"The Burns statue will explain. You may want to listen to them. They aren't the enemy. I shall be on my way." Cecil said as he left the room.
She placed the MyPad into the statue's hands and jumped back as several holograms appeared.
"Green is good. Blue creeps me out. Red freaked me out. Purple, that's new."
"We are all good." The green hologram said. "You should listen to us like Cecil said."
She looked at all four holograms and took a half step forward. "If you aren't the enemy, then who is."
"It's just a game. The enemies are your opponents. You must seek to eliminate them." The blue hologram said.
"Eliminate..." Luann started to say, before the red hologram interrupted.
"Eliminate." It said. "Be the last one standing."
"What do you have to say purple hologram?" Luann asked, but it said nothing.
The green hologram got impatient. "Greetings, and welcome to the Hydro side of the Hydroelectric Dam. This property is unowned, and you are indeed lucky tonight, because you own the other utility. The property can also be bought for one hundred fifty dollars. Any visitor to either side of the dam will be charged ten times a random dice roll as a visitor's fee. As a bonus, owning both utilities will open up a special advantage for you, but also for you opponents for a small fee payable to you. Now, make your decision."
"Now it sounds like I can make some profit. I'll do it." She cheered as she pressed the Buy icon.
"A wise decision." The green hologram said then disappeared. Several pieces of paper printed below.
She grabbed the MyPad and the pieces of paper. "I know what these are. No real surprises. Title-deed. Sales receipt. Transport?" She stopped when she read this one.
"I shall freeze time momentarily." The red hologram said before the blue one started to speak.
"Transport fees will be paid directly to you, if any opponent uses this feature. You may use it for free. The fee will be twenty-five times a random dice roll. Any questions?" The blue hologram asked.
"Yes." Luann said disappointedly. "That made no sense."
"Then go to the elevator and wait for Purple to explain it." The blue hologram said then disappeared.
"The rule explaining how it works is complete, so I will unfreeze time." The red hologram said then disappeared.
"It's a complicated rule. Meet me in the elevator." The purple hologram said then disappeared.
Luann looked around the room as four holograms were there, but now she was standing by herself. "I guess to the elevator." She said as she grabbed her MyPad and left the control room to the elevator.
Inside the elevator the purple hologram waited. "Place the key." It instructed her. "Turn it to the right."
She listened as the elevator started to descend again. "Where are we going?" She questioned.
"To learn about transport." The purple hologram said as loud booms shook the walls and the elevator. "You have time now, so it is time to learn about the transport system." It said as Luann stared at it the further down the elevator went.
