Chapter Fifty-one – 'Underground railroad'
"Your turn Ned. The game is unfrozen again." A mysterious voice said over the loudspeaker. "I'll also let you know seven more people may have entered the game, and you may or may not find them along your journey." The loudspeaker clicked off, then back on. "Enjoy!" They finished and went silent.
The first beam of sunlight illuminated the far side of the lake as Ned opened his eyes to the sound of the unfamiliar voice. They had fallen asleep in the boat as they waited for the next appearance of General Sherman. "Hi doodily-doo. It's morning."
His movement rocked the boat ever so slightly, but enough to wake his shipmate, Hermann. "I'm awake. Never sleep more than two hours at a time. That leaves you vulnerable to an enemy attack. Speaking of..."
The legend of General Sherman was sleeping as well, at least they assumed it was sleeping in the lake below their boat. Their adversary had pushed the boat towards the statue the previous night, saving them time looking for it. Shouldn't be too hard to find since the lake surrounded a cabin with a path leading to land and a mailbox.
"I slept like a newborn baby, slowly rocked to sleep by the gentleness of the waves." Ned described in detail how this was the best sleep he had received in the past few days. "I could take another nap..."
"Twenty-three minutes after sunrise, the sun will be at an angle to reflect off this lake, blinding anyone looking at it." Hermann stated. "It's during this time, I'm usually inside my cabin preparing the bait for the day in case I get any visitors or customers seeking out the legend of General Sherman."
"Wish I could stay and help you find the giant fish, but the voice in the sky said I can take my turn now." Ned was right. The MyPad was glowing on the bottom of the boat. He picked it up, and wiped it off with his sleeve. The Roll icon was displayed on the screen. He tapped it and it changed to... "Nine."
This had become standard practice. Press the Roll icon, loud booms echoing across the sky, jumping on the designated token, and riding to the next location. These events all happened in the order predicted.
"Since you now own the lake, I'm going to spend my time in pursuit of the legend. One day I will catch him..." Hermann had a plan with no end goal in mind.
"What happens when you catch him?" Ned asked the question Hermann had no answer to.
Hermann shook his head. "I don't actually know. Ever since I heard of the legend, I've wanted to catch him, but I guess he won't be tamed." It was heartbreaking to have a large goal, but it be unobtainable. "Maybe if enough fisherman join me, we can claim we caught the legend. This is my life's goal."
It was a tall order, and with no responsibilities to the game, he was free to spend endless and countless time on his proud pursuit.
"Good luck and godspeed." Ned carefully hopped out of the boat onto the shore. It felt great to be back on dry land and not speeding around the lake chasing a giant fish all night. "Let me know how it goes."
It was time to continue the game, but Ned was enjoying the friends he had made along the way. Would he ever see them again? The game was built as its own contained world, so they weren't going anywhere, and frankly, neither was he. The game was just beginning.
"Life's not about the end goal, even though I knew where I'll end up for all eternity, it's about the journey and the people." It was s greeting card saying or a statement from a motivation poster, but it made Ned happy.
His silver iron was right where he left it next to the mailbox. There was nothing in the mailbox as he felt compelled to look, which saved Hermann a walk all the way out here.
The iron was ready to take him to the next destination nine spaces away. Ned jumped on it and made himself comfortable for a ride of unknown length. It slowly pulled away from the sidewalk leading to the cabin as Hermann disembarked the boat and entered the cabin. "Good luck!" Ned yelled across the lake, but Hermann continued into the house without hearing his goodbye. "I hope you succeed on your journey." Ned said a quick prayer.
The sun had risen enough to illuminate the entire lake. The rays bounced off its surface like a giant mirror, causing Ned to look away from it. Hermann was right, probably because he had experienced this day after day.
"Let's get moving." Ned thought about his trip so far from a busy street to the town center and lastly to the shopping mall. This game certainly had variety. Where will he end up next?
It was a good question as he enjoyed the scenery of the lake fade into the background and a grass floor took over in all directions. Nothing fancy to it, just a rolling green field. Over a few hills he went with nothing appearing in the distance.
"Did I break the game? If I did, I didn't mean to..." Ned's thought hung in the air as the grass faded to light green and eventually turned into dirt. He went down a long hill and up another. Mountains appeared in the distance, which seemed out of place from the rolling green hills.
The dirt changed color from a standard brown dirt to a reddish-orange clay. Ned watched as a single building popped up beyond a line dividing the landscape. He squinted to see what it was, but had to wait until he got closer.
The sound of a train horn gave away his destination. "I love trains." He said to himself. "I hope this is as exciting as trying to catch a fish the size of a whale. What if the almighty caught that fish? Anyone could feed five thousand people with a fish that size..."
His thought was interrupted as a passenger train crossed his path and the iron came to a stop. Several passengers had their windows open. One child stuck his head out like a dog in a speeding car.
"Be careful there neighborino!" But his command did not reach the kid before he was long gone. The train followed its track, and Ned wondered where it was going.
Did the passengers know they were in a game, or was this reality to them. Ned thought about all the people he had interacted with, and the common folk had no idea this was a game, but the mayors did. And there was the new voice over the loudspeaker... who was that. Ned had never heard that voice before, either in Springfield or whatever this world was.
There wasn't any time to debate the new addition to the game, as Ned jumped a set of railroad tracks just outside the station. The iron began to slow down and stopped next to the main platform and ticket window.
"You have arrived at Short Line Railroad." The MyPad familiarly announced and showed him the nine spaces he had traveled. How that counted as nine spaces was beyond him.
"Ookily-dookily." Ned saluted and thanked the Iron token for the ride to his next adventure. It was obvious he was at a train station, but what he didn't know was this was a hub for four different rail lines.
Above the windows of the ticket booth was a sign saying: 'Short Line Railroad', which confirmed what the MyPad said. Further above the sign was a clock showing it was a few minutes to six, which explained why the windows had their blinds pulled down.
The farthest window had a picture of a clock saying ticket sales would begin at six. Ned was early, and he liked to be. It ensured he was always on time and stuck to a tight schedule. With a couple of minutes to waste, Ned ventured to the end of the platform and admired the trains... the two trains out of four available tracks.
The first train looked ancient. Any older and it qualified for antique license plates. It was at least one hundred years old, with plenty of rust patches. No one had performed the proper upkeep over the years. Millions of miles of gravel and rain had taken its toll.
Opposite the steam locomotive was the top-of-the-line state-of-the-art bullet train. It was a passenger train, but more aerodynamically designed. This train could break the speed of sound if it wanted to, or the conductor wanted it to. "Pretty snazzy. Almost looks too fancy for me." He adjusted his glasses and saw the 'For Sale' sign in the windshield. "That looks too expensive for my tastes."
He left the shadow of the bullet train and jumped in line at the ticket window. It was now one minute until open, and an elderly gentleman stepped up behind him. "You waiting to buy a ticket?"
"Actually, I'm waiting to speak to the mayor." Ned answered him. The window opened, and the cashier heard him. She waved him forward, but he was paying more attention to the man in line. He pointed Ned in the right direction, and he approached the window. "I'd like to speak to the mayor. It will save me significant time if you could point me in the right direction."
"Just a second." The cashier shut the blinds, so Ned couldn't see what she was doing. A few seconds later, the blinds opened, and the cashier handed him a note. "Follow the directions, and you'll find him."
"Thanks and have a blessed day." Ned thanked her and read the note. 'Opposite the grand staircase is a wall between platforms nine and ten. Pull the torch and walk through the wall'. "If this is some type of magic, I don't like it."
His opinion of certain movies and books containing magic, wizards, and the supernatural was not very high, but at this moment, he did not have a choice.
Inside the train station was a scene from a movie. Ned stared at the splendor of the grand staircase, the polished marble floors, and the rich feeling of being surrounded by travelers on high-class trains.
Towards the ceiling was a replica clock of the one outside. The sun beamed in through the skylights on the other side of the station and illuminated the clock, which reflected the sun's rays at his true destination. The signs for platforms nine and ten bent the sunbeam towards a brick wall with one torch attached.
"Now this is a sign from above, or the architect designed this to happen." He shrugged and descended the stairs and walked to the brick wall. He pressed on it to ensure it was solid. "The torch..."
The note handed to him was one hundred percent accurate. The brick wall slid inward just enough for Ned to enter. It was a scene from a book where iron torches with a burning element lit his way. The wall closed behind him, and he was now alone... for a split second.
"Hello?" A voice echoed through the tunnel. "Is that you, Lisa? Are you here to buy another train?"
"This is Ned Flanders. Golly, this is a fine pickle I'm in." The shadowy figure approached him. "How do you know Lisa?"
The voice stepped within the light of a torch, which showed his true form. "Lisa had already been here twice and purchased two trains. I figured she was coming back and in case I hadn't made it to my office yet, I wanted her to find me."
So this stranger had a favorite in the game. Ned disapprovingly looked at him. "Well... I'm not Lisa."
"That's true." The stranger decided to introduce himself and ease the conversation with some knowledge. "My name is Mr. Bergstrom, and I'm the mayor of this train station and all four trains. You see, this train station is a magical place."
"Like wizards and magic?" Ned interrupted him. "Because the good book doesn't talk about warlocks in a good light."
"Magical like... this is perhaps the best kept secret of the game. Hence, why we are standing in an abandoned maintenance tunnel..." Bergstrom described. "...which I turned one of the rooms into my sleeping quarters. I wasn't super thrilled to find out I had to take over the train station and wait for someone to come here four times."
Ned thought about being the second person here. "At least you can sleep easier now waiting for two more people."
"Actually one more, Nick." Bergstrom said.
"It's Ned." He correct him. "Why only one more... so Lisa came here twice already?"
Bergstrom nodded. "You make the third visit, and one more means I won't have to sleep in this dark tunnel anymore. But you know what... I kinda like it." He seemed like a strange fellow, but Ned needed him to complete his task. "Follow me, and I'll show you the bunk I made.
"Ookily-dookily. Lead the way." Ned followed Bergstrom through a labyrinth of underground tunnels lined with brick walls. Bergstrom wasn't lying when you said it was an old maintenance tunnel. The best description was a busted train track ran down the middle of the tunnel with side rooms containing abandoned tools on shelves covered in cobwebs.
Ned would have never found the sleeping quarters of the mayor on his own, but what he did find was the statue hiding beside Bergstrom's bed. "That's weird. This wasn't here when I came to get you."
"Last time I looked for a statue, a giant fish found it for me, so I've learned this whole game is filled with dark magic." Ned would rather find the statue inside an empty store compared to a damp tunnel. "Want me to show you what it does?"
"I already know. Lisa has showed me twice." Bergstrom reminded him. It was all about Lisa. He remembered her since he met her, but never knew who she was before that first meeting. "In any case, feel free to use the statue. I'm jumping back in bed until the final visitor comes, whether it's you, or Lisa, or any other player. Good night."
And that was it for Bergstrom. He pulled the blanket over his head to block out the brightness of the hologram. Ned placed the MyPad into the hands of the statue, and the usual green hologram appeared beside the bed.
"Greetings and welcome to Short Line Railroad. This is a fun space to land on as there are four railroads in the game and being the nice guy I am, I'll tell you two of the four have already been purchased." The hologram recited. "Being extra nice, I'll tell you the railroads have a very high rate of return on your investment, so I suggest buying... or trading for all four."
"I don't know anything about trading..." Ned was puzzled. His only option up to this point was to buy properties. He rolled the dice, jumped on the iron, and ended up somewhere new. What he was actually buying was beyond him.
"If you choose to purchase this property for two hundred dollars, it's represented by the bullet train outside, and owning one train will cost someone twenty-five dollars for a ticket. Each additional train doubles the cost of the ticket. Make your decision."
The hologram was rather convincing. "Maybe I can make a deal." Ned thought while he pressed the Buy icon on the MyPad.
"You have chosen well, my friend. I would also recommend learning how to trade or at a minimum look up game information on the MyPad." The green hologram advised. "And as the mayor said, two trains have been purchased, this makes three, so I would work quickly."
With those words, the hologram disappeared, and the statue printed three pieces of paper below the MyPad. Ned removed the MyPad and pulled the papers.
The first one said Title-deed, and Ned largely ignored this one. The second showed his two hundred dollar purchase, leaving him with six hundred six dollars remaining.
Lastly, the hologram had printed Ned instructions on how to look up information on the game. 'Press the MyPad at any time to access the player menu. The hologram will guide you through the rest'.
"Here goes nothing." Ned did as the paper directed and pressed the screen of the MyPad and waited. Nothing happened. "Maybe not." He pressed it again and still nothing. He rapidly pressed it and heard a groan. It didn't come from Bergstrom's direction, but the other side of the room.
"Press the button once and once only." A voice demanded behind him. A brown hologram had appeared in the back corner of the room, perfectly camouflaged against the brick wall. "Greetings and welcome to the game. This is what you should say to me."
"Greetings... and welcome to the game?" Ned repeated. "I thought you holograms were already part of the game?"
The brown hologram frowned. "All of my friends have been here since the beginning, however, I was born moments ago when Burns enacted the house rule regarding game and player information."
Ned recalled just hearing this over the loudspeaker. "So this is how I know how the game is going?"
The brown hologram nodded. "Use the MyPad to scroll through the progress made by others to plan your next move. Might I suggest the Overall Board view. This will give you the most information quickly."
There was a starting point for Ned. He pressed the menu button and then Board view as the hologram proposed. "Fourth place... rest behind Lisa." He wasn't thrilled that his game was constantly being overshadowed by Lisa, but his kindness and righteousness shone through. "Bless her and her success."
"This is a game. There will be one winner, six losers, and zero participation trophies." The brown hologram reminded him. "Any questions or do you want a minute to browse?"
Ned shrugged, as this was a lot of information to absorb at once. The brown hologram was a tad impatient, as it knew its existence could greatly slow down the game. "I'll tell you what... since you aren't immediately ready to make any moves, and you are just information seeking, I'm going to let the game continue. If... when you decide to make a move, wake me up."
The brown hologram took one look at a sleeping Bergstrom before disappearing. "I need a minute to look over my options. Quick decisions were never my specialty."
Loud booms echoed outside and shook the underground tunnel. Bergstrom stopped snoring for a second as his bed shook just enough to wake him. "I miss anything?" He sleepily stated.
"Nothing at all." Ned reassured. "Go back to sleep. I'll wake you if anyone else comes here today." He sat at the foot of the bed and began to tap and scroll through all the information he could find. "Magic and wizards, magic and holograms, it's all the same." Ned shook his head and began a long journey with the new MyPad update.
