WELCOME TO CHERRY POINT:
AN ANIMAL CROSSING HORROR STORY.

"...He thought he saw a Garden-Door
That opened with a key:
He looked again, and found it was
A double Rule of Three:
'And all its mystery,' he said,
'Is clear as day to me...'"

CHAPTER ONE: ARRIVAL.

DROWSILY, I OPEN MY EYES, BEING MET WITH THE RUMBLING OF TRAIN ENGINES, AND THE DIM, WARM LIGHTING OF MY TRAIN-CAR. I take a moment to get my bearings, as I gather I must have dozed off during the train ride somewhere along the way. I adjust my jacket slightly, fixing the back of it- of which had found a way to worm itself underneath me during my little nap. I raise one arm above my head, and stretch, heartily. I'm about to ask somebody how long until we arrive at our destination, when I notice a short, blue cat get up from his seat, making his way over to me.

"Hey, sorry to bother you, guy- it's the 5th, right? 10:32 PM?" I look up at the cat, before nodding my head. "Yeah, that's right." He sighs, with relief, grinning. I hold back a slight wince, seeing him bare all of his sharp teeth. "Oh, that's good- I'm right. I swear, this watch of mine gets thrown off waay too easily sometimes. I think it's some kinda defect."

Uninvited, he proceeds to plop down in the seat across from me, swinging his hanging legs back and forth, as they don't quite reach the ground. "Oh well- you don't fix what ain't broke. Or, uh...what you can't afford to fix, either." He looks up at me, smiling. "I'm just gonna sit here for a while. That's assuming you don't mind, of course!" I smile up at him, chucking softly. "No, no, that's alright. Sit wherever you want." He laughs, clasping his paws slightly. "Well, in which case I'll stay right here! Say, how-OH, WAIT!" I jump with the urgency of his voice. "What? What is it?" He puts a paw to his forehead, chuckling softly in bewilderment, as he leans back in his seat. "I've completely forgotten to ask for your name! Man, what is up with me today?"

I blink slightly. "Uh, no, that's okay. My name is Jack- I'm uh, I'm moving today." The cat nods, as if in approval of my name. "Jack. Well, I tell you what- that's a fantastically great name. My name's Rover." He extends a paw to shake, and I accept. I can't help but notice how sweaty his palms are.

Rover leans forward in his seat, looking at me with an interested grin. "So, you're moving, huh? Where to, Jack?" I pull a brochure out of my jacket pocket, showing it to him. "Here- it's a little town called Cherry Point. It seems...pretty perfect for me. Small, quaint..." Rover inspects the map slightly, before he grins, thoughtfully. "Yeah, yeah, that Cherry Point...! I think I had a cousin that lived there for a bit...Nice place. Really, it is!" Rover hands the map back to me, picking his teeth with one of his claws, still grinning. "You got a place, yet?"

I cough, slightly.

His smile falters slightly, as he stops kicking his legs. "You...have a place, already...right?" I rub the back of my neck, swallowing. "I uh...may have overlooked that...p-particular aspect." Rover's eyes widen, in shock. "Oh. Ohhh, boy." He rubs the side of his face. "Tell me, did people call you very...imaginative, as a child? Because, Jack- sometimes our imaginations can be a little unreali-" "I get it, thanks," I cut him off, "I...I'm sure I'll find a place. I'll be alright."

Suddenly, I wasn't so sure anymore.

Rover seems to pick up on my uncertainty, however- and quickly changes demeanor. "B-but hey! This is no sweat, trust me. No, really! All it means is you'll be going house hunting right when you arrive...! It'll be fun." He's clearly patronizing me, but it serves to cheer me up a little, anyway. "And plus, they almost always have vacancies. Not a very popular town- no idea why, really." He puts his paws up for emphasis. I smile sheepishly up at him, chuckling softly. "Yeah, I'm...sure I'll be alright."

Rover puts his hands on his seat- his legs resuming their usual kicking. "Oh, you'll be dandy. There isn't a doubt in my blue, furry head you'll find a place in the first half-hour, tops. Trust this old puss on this one, yeah?" Once more, he flashes me a toothy grin, before the train bell rings loudly. A voice comes on the intercom. "Attention all passengers- we are now stopping at Cherry Point station- I repeat- all passengers bound for Cherry Point station disembark at this point. Thank you for riding Blue Mile, and thank you for your cooperation." Rover looks up at me, clapping his paws to his knees. "Well, there it is...! Looks like it's about time for you to get off. Thanks for letting me talk your ear off- I know I tend to uh, yap a lot." Rover rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, as I grab my bags, standing up. I look down at him, giving a smile. "That's alright- I didn't mind. It was a pleasure meeting you, Rover." Rover looks up at me, his eyes practically lighting up. "A- Well, gosh, thanks, Jack. It was a pleasure meeting you, too- I tell you, a real pleasure." As I start to walk away, he speaks up once again. "Oh- and Jack?" I turn around to face him. "Yeah?" He holds his paws up to me, giving me a proud double-thumbs-up. "Good luck on the move!"

I turn around, and walk off the train, smiling to myself. This is it. This is the first moment of the rest of my life.

I step out of the train station, and onto the fresh green grass of my new home town.

Before I have a chance to take two steps away from the building- I'm surrounded on all sides by animals- presumably the residents of the town.

"Oh, man! Here he comes...!"

"Looks like we have a celebrity on our hands, folks!"

"Shh- everybody shut up! Let them speak."

A fourth one steps further forward than the rest- a golden dog, dressed neatly in a sweater-vest and a carefully ironed skirt. "Shhhh!- alright, everybody! It's just like we rehearsed!" She turns to face me, smiling exuberantly. "From the town of Cherry Point, we wish to bid you..." Seemingly on cue, the entire crowd shouts together to issue a collective, lively "WELCOME!" I try to thank them, but I'm too surprised to say anything. The small crowd laughs, all positively beaming up at me- as the dog girl takes a few tentative steps closer to me. "I have to say- Mister Mayor, we are so, so excited to finally have you here with us!" A few whoops and cheers distract me, before I fully register her words in my head. "Wh- Mister Mayor? You're all talking to me?" Another dog in the crowd laughs slightly, putting a hand on her hip. "Uh, duh- yeah dude. Who else would we be talking to?"

I shake my head furiously, waving my hands in a cross. "I'm sorry- there's been a terrible misunderstanding- I'm not the mayor, you see-" The golden canine cuts me off, giggling. "Ever the jokester, huh? You can't fool me, I've got all the info here, Mister! What train you said you'd arrive on, your name, all the necessary paperwork- looks like I've got you under my thumb, huh Mister Mayor?" Yet again, she giggles. "Oh well. Let's continue this conversation in Town Hall, yes? I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to chat with the eager locals later...!" She pulls a map out of her back pocket, handing it to me. "Here, how about you lead the way? I thought it might be a good way for you to get better acquainted with our sleepy little town...!" I'm about to protest, but I swallow it. Maybe I did sign up for this. Maybe I just don't remember...?

Seems like a pretty big detail to just forget about.

Map in hand, and still decently disoriented- I begin walking down to the big town hall building- the dog girl following closely in tow. Every step she takes, the small bell affixed to the messy bun on top of her head makes a soft jingling sound. She speaks up, smiling. "It's a pretty place, huh? Cherry Point?" I look down at her, raising my eyebrows. "Yeah, it really is. It feels so...alive, here. Not that where I lived was particularly dead, but-" "This place feels clean. Natural." She finishes for me, smiling dreamily at the town around us. I blink slightly, surprised. "Yeah, actually. Exactly. How did you...?" She giggles. "Oh, Mister Mayor, everyone feels the same way as you. It's why we all moved here, after all." She looks up at me. "I'm Isabelle, I'm going to be your secretary." She beams, offering a hand. "I hope we'll grow to be very close with time...!" Chuckling softly, I accept her hand, shaking it firmly. "It's nice to meet you, Isabelle. I get the feeling you're gonna be a great help during my...career." Career. Impromptu career. A career thrust into my hands by a giggling dog- completely unprecedented.

Isabelle gushes, bringing her paws up to her cheeks. "W-Well g-gosh, I- thank y-you, Mister Mayor...! I...I'll do my best to fulfill your expectations!" I grab the handle to the Town Hall's doors, and pull them open, entering.

The building is two rooms, and the one I'm standing in is very rich in design. Dark oak floorboards- the same wood paneling covering the bottoms of the walls contrasting nicely with their warm cream color. There are two desks at the back of the room- one for personal use, and a bigger customer service desk at the front of the room. On these desks, are various, neatly-organized things- from finely stacked papers, and staplers, to potted flowers, telescopes, and novelty calendars. By the door of the room is a fancy black leather couch, and a tall potted plant. "Welcome, Mister Mayor, to Town Hall! This is gonna be your base of operations, as will it be mine- so get acquainted...!" Isabelle hurries behind the service desk to her own, personal desk- grabbing a little form. "Here are the proper forms for your mayoral registrations...! I already filled most of it out for you, so, all that I really need is for you to put your address right..." she flips through a few pages, licking her fingers with each few flips. "...Here!"

I resort to coughing slightly, again.

She holds the paper out to me further, beaming- as her tail wags furiously.

"About that...I don't uh..." I look down at my shoes, rubbing the back of my neck. Looks like somebody's developing a routine. "I don't really...have a house, yet."

Isabelle goes slack jawed, her eyes likening to dinner-plates. I cut her off before she starts. "I know, I know! I should've looked into that before I moved- I know." She immediately shuts her maw, rubbing her arm. "Sorry, Mister Mayor- it's just...most people would uhm...would plan ahead for something like that." She looks at a paper on her desk. "Golly, I wish you'd brought this up sooner- we don't have any vacancies at the moment. But, oh!- We could have one built for you! You're soon to be the mayor, after all...!" She places the papers back down on her desk, pulling the map out of her pocket again- pressing her side up against me as she points to the top of it. "Right up here, above the train tracks, is a pathway, that leads to Main Street. There's a shop there- Nook's Homes? Mister Tom Nook works there- and I'm sure he'll fix you up a home in no time at all! He's a good businessman, that way. Very punctual."

I nod, taking the map from her, and putting it into my back pocket.

Isabelle smiles at me. "You should get going, Mister Mayor- the nights get very cold, here...! Wouldn't want our new Mayor to give his first speech with the sniffles, would we?" She giggles again, heading back to her desk, as I exit the building.