NEW LEAF

PART 5: THE DREAM SUITE

I continue to ignore the strange, elegant building and proceed to expand Quietown. I make a visit to the Able Sisters, a humble store owned by a pair of hedgehogs specializing in designs, clothing, and accessories. I decide to get out of my old pair of clothes and try out some new apparel for once—I put on a hefty brown jacket with some black jeans. I have to say despite how off my shoes looked in color comparison, the outfit I had on blended together quite well. I wound up buying the clothes.

The store is a small suite, and I can practically see the other room from here.

MABEL: Oh, that section is where you can find accessories, such as hats, sunglasses, and many other selections! Our sister, Labelle can assist you with anything you need.

I visit the accessories section. Labelle has what seems like a coy demeanor about her, giving me a hushed whisper of a "Hello," as I made my way inside. She also has a more official appearance, almost like a fashion designer, sporting a black, sleeveless dress with a white shirt underneath. She also wore an orange scarf. Her appearance is actually striking when compared to her older siblings, Sable and Mabel, not that I actually wanted to start judging looks in a place full of designers.

I get myself a nice-looking pair of sunglasses with a white frame. Labelle gives me her humble thanks and I take my leave. With a new outfit, I feel the freshness in my new life growing and taking hold. I head back to my house and on the way, Pecan and Rosie notice my new clothes and compliment me on my fashion sense. It is pretty flattering considering my mind wasn't fully focused on that as I made my pick.

My tent has transformed into a nice little cottage. I am still amazed at how quickly they built this thing. The inside is nice and cozy and everything electrical functions perfectly. I take the fishing rod I left in my storage closet and begin to fish in the pond close to the house. It's then that I start hearing a rhythmic beeping noise from behind. I turn my head and find out it's coming from my mailbox. A little blue flag is sticking out of it, a blinking envelope insignia embedded in the middle. I walk over to the mailbox and open it up, and out comes two pieces of mail, one with a whole present attached to it.

I take a look at the letter with the generous attachment and find it is from Roscoe, thanking me for hanging out with him the other day. Getting a gift for such a small thing really showed me how important minimalistic things are considered in this town, and it left me smiling…until I looked at the other letter.

"To Mark, Congrats on your newfound mayorhood! To be honest, I was supposed to become the mayor, but one thing led to another…And now it's all up to you! I'm rooting for you!"

The letter is signed "-Keep it a secret!" A puzzle seems to be piecing itself together here. I'm not entirely sure what to make of this letter, but it's becoming clearer that this whole mayor-swap was definitely planned ahead. I gaze at the letter some more and flip it over. I find a 12-digit code on the bottom-left corner.

"1288-2472-1992"

I can't make any final conclusions with this just yet. I stuff the letter in my pocket and realize I haven't opened Roscoe's present. It's a Lovely Bed. I smile again.

After my fishing session, I remember the elegant building next to Nook's and think that this may be the best time to finally check out what exactly it holds.

I nervously walk up the marble steps, feeling dryness in my mouth. I open the door with the rose design, the sounds of chiming bells accompanying my entrance. The interior sends a sweeping sense of relief and relaxation through my entire body. The design is simple but serene, and the air is filled with an almost tranquilizing coolness.

In the middle of the interior stood an odd-looking tapir, her dark blonde hair tied to a bun. Her skin is smooth with a dark shade of brown, blue freckles lining the bottom of her eyes. A pleased hum comes out of her red-lined lips as she sees me enter her realm.

LUNA: Welcome. My name is Luna, and this is the luxurious Dream Suite, where we offer you relaxation within your stressful life.

It started working just as I stepped foot inside the building. The tapir's voice is silky smooth. It's like everything inside this place except for me has some kind of aura of peace emanating from it.

LUNA: Oooh…are you not the mayor of Quietown? We two have had many pleasant conversations in the dream world. I am honored by the chance to converse whilst we are awake.

As creepy as the stuff Luna is going on about is, the feeling of wanting to unwind has not dissipated in the slightest. She gives me an overview of the suite and how it operates. I can go into dream versions of different towns and just have myself a grand time exploring them.

This actually touches on my yearning to get to see what else lied in this world, but then I realized something else. I can dream about others' dream towns while I'm already dreaming? I mean, if this really is still just a dream, it has to be the longest one I've ever had. I almost feel a twinge of fear welling up inside of me. If I am to just fall asleep on that bed and start "dreaming," would that wake me up in some freakish chance? I did not feel I wanted to depart from this fascinating world just yet. There is so much more I have to do.

Even if my mind is racing at this point, I almost immediately fall back into the trance of the relaxing atmosphere of the Dream Suite. My levels of interest in this entire function is almost too much for me to handle, and I decide I have to experience this. I walk over to the bed.

LUNA: Now then, why don't you start by telling me what kind of dream you want to have?

Luna starts giving me different options, including one to give her a "Dream Address" if I wanted to visit a specific dream. I think for a bit and my mind trails back to the mysterious letter I got today. I pull it out and Luna takes a look at the code I point out to her. She raises a brow and shakes her head with a subtle smile partially blocked by her long snout.

LUNA: What you have here is a friend code, Mayor Mark. You can actually use this to physically transcend to the town tied to this code.

ME: As in through the main station?

She nods and gives me back the letter.

LUNA: Dream addresses do not have a particularly differing anatomy. If you would like for me to rather pick a dream at random for you, I can also accomplish this.

Why not? At this point, I don't have a specific place in mind and felt a bit of unpredictability would be interesting in this scenario. Luna instructs me to lie on the bed in some pajamas she hands me. I don't just put these on. They almost seem to fuse with me. My original outfit disappears and is immediately replaced by the silky garments. I look up at Luna in pure shock. She laughs her strange humming laugh.

LUNA: Not to worry, Mayor Mark. Your outfit will be given back to you once you are finished.

I nod in understanding and lie on the fancy bed before me. I shut my eyes and breathe deep, taking in the cool air. I can hear Luna's voice getting quieter.

LUNA: Now I'm going to…shut off the lights…one sheep…two sheep…

I sense the overwhelming force of sleep rendering my body helpless. Everything turns to white and I can hear the faint sound of a breeze passing through my head.

I feel like I'm floating.