With a deep breath I took that final step, the step that would place me on the train to Lansley, the town that would change my life forever.
See I'm not your average mayor, I'm what some have called a serial mayor. I'm just not the type of guy that sticks to one place. Over the last decade or so I've been the mayor of 7 different towns, and every one has been an adventure in it's own right. I've met a lot of great personalities over the years, and I can't wait to get to Lansley to meet some more.
I had just finished up my most recent stint in a town called Hyrule, which oddly enough was also the name of the second town I was the mayor in, when I saw the recruitment poster for a mayor position in Lansley. Usually I'd wait a few months before taking on another town, resting at home and catching up with my family, but I couldn't stand to leave a town unguided. That was about an hour ago, and now I'm on my way.
The train ride was nothing exciting. My first few trips I found it a bit eerie how formulaic the train was, but I had grown accustom to it. Rover sits across from me as usual, riding off to who knows where. He's the only person I know who's on the train more than I am. He asks me the usual question, I give my usual answers, nothing much to see here.
With a loud whistle the train grinds to a halt, a voice over the loudspeaker announces that we have arrived in Lansley. I grab hold of my bags and stand by the train door, ready to make my triumphant arrival. The townspeople are surely waiting on the other side, and everybody knows first impressions are important. I quickly feel my face to make sure everything is in order, it may sound odd but I've had problems with rapid appearance shifting before, so it can't hurt to be careful. I straighten my back and take a bold step out of the door.
My eyes flutter as they adjust to the light. The town looks nice from what I can see, I scan the horizon and see some oranges growing on a tree. Farther down by the river some juicy looking pears are doing very well.
Wait a second, something is wrong here.
Already suspicious I turn to look at the crowd that sits quietly, waiting for me to acknowledge them. One of the members of the Isabelle family stands there, but she looks a tad more tired and less lively than I'm used to. I've never seen an Isabelle with anything but the utmost enthusiasm.
My eyes continued to scan the assembled group. Something was very wrong here. There were not three, not four, but nine villagers standing there, all with wide grins, ready to greet me. This was not the way of the world I've been a part of all my life. Towns seeking a mayor have only one fruit growing, and three villagers living there. I don't know why, but that's just how it is.
Seeing the nervous look on my face, Isabelle begins to speak up. "Don't worry! I know that being a mayor is a daunting job, but I'm sure you'll do fantastic!" It seems sweet on the surface, but there is a hint of doubt to her words.
"Greetings!" I wave to the crowd. "I must admit, there are more of you living here than I was expecting, it looks like you've been getting on well for a town with no mayor." There was an instant reaction to the words that came out of my mouth. Several of the villagers looked awkwardly at the ground, while others stared right through me.
"Yes yes, things have been just wonderful around here, haha!" Isabelle spoke quickly to break the silence. "Now, you can meet everybody shortly, but let's find you a spot to place your new home, might I suggest a nice spot by the station?" She handed me a map and signaled for me to lead the way.
I took a look at the map, and sure enough, there were nine houses, everybody in the crowd resided in the town of Lansley. I studied the map closely for the perfect location, I knew what to look for after all these years. While looking at the corner of the town furthest from the station I noticed something odd, there was a section that was slightly whiter than the rest of the map. I scratched at it a little and some paint crumbled off.
"Why don't we get going? You certainly have a busy day ahead of you!" Isabelle squeaked, I looked over and her face was filled with alarm. I was suspicious to say the least, and decided to head to that far corner of town. Isabelle grew more agitated the closer we got, reminding me that near the station really was the ideal spot for a house. Just as I was about to reach the corner of town, a house entered my vision. It was not a regular house, but a mansion of sorts, far bigger than the houses of the villagers. It always happened to be exactly where the white paint covered up the map.
"May I ask who lives there, and why they aren't on the map?" I inquired of Isabelle. She looked away and began stalling. "Isabelle, who lives there?" I asked more forcefully.
"Well, I had hoped that we could get you settled into town before we dealt with this can of worms..." She began slowly. I glared at her impatiently, and she continued "You mentioned that the town has thrived for a town with no mayor. That's because it's not exactly true that we don't, or rather that we haven't had a mayor."
This was quite the abnormal situation, in my experience towns live and die with the mayor, when the mayor decides their time is up, the rest of the villagers naturally move on. It's especially strange that the house of an old mayor would remain once they had moved out. "So what's with all this secrecy? Why do you need a new mayor?"
"After several months of trying times, we came to the decision that Arianne was no longer fit to serve as mayor earlier this week. Nevertheless, she will continue to reside in Lansley until she wishes to leave. I encourage you to leave this whole situation alone, it's none of your concern, and is mostly resolved anyways." Isabelle forces a smile. "Now let's find you a home."