Open Road

It seemed obvious that the van was a gift. It was less obvious, however, whether it came from God, the agent, or sinister forces. Those tidbits were less important to me. What truly mattered was that we had a car, and that meant freedom. Freedom to go anywhere we chose. I will admit though that it wasn't the most comfortable ride. In order to save on gas I turned off the A/C. Even with the windows rolled down it was unbearable. We were both feeling miserable and drenched in sweat. Eventually I caved and cranked up the air conditioning. Predictably, soon after I did that we ran out of gas. We were then stranded in the middle of the desert with no food or water, and no gas station in sight. It was perfect.

Barren

The desert is one of my least favorite places. It's hot, it's barren, there's no one around. At least no one that you would want to be friends with. Vultures and rattle snakes aren't exactly the friendly types. There's not even any cliffs or cacti to look at. Just red, hot sand and rocks. I carefully circle the van. From what I can tell there is no one in sight. But I notice something interesting as I glance in the drivers side. The key is still in the ignition, and there is a half a tank of gas. Perhaps things might be turning around.

Desserted

Take away all clocks and windows and time moves slower than the slowest sloth. Olivia and I sat in the back of the van, staring at the door in eager anticipation for what felt like days. We were ready to give up hope when the door ripped open. It literally ripped open. An invisible arm threw the door into the powder blue sky. Then the scenery changed to the southwest desert. Our car was perched on a tall cliff. I cautiously peaked my head out of the van. There was no one in sight.

Locked In

"Any minuet the door will swing open." I thought to myself for well over a minuet. "They're not gonna open the door." Olivia says to me, as if she could read my thoughts. "No. They will and we'll be ready." "What are you gonna do?" Olivia asks. "I'm gonna pounce." Olivia laughs to herself. "What? You got a better idea." "I'm gonna wait." "You're just gonna sit there and wait for certain death?" "Not death. But yeah." "Well, I'm not. I'm busting out of here." I tug at the door. It's locked. I try kicking at it. "Safe your strength." Olivia says. "It's locked." I inform her. "I know. Save your strength." I sit down next to her. We both stare at the door for a while. "What do we do now?" I ask. "Only thing we can do. We wait."

That Easy

There was a metal divider between us and the driver. So, even if we wanted to we couldn't ask the agent where we were headed. We could hear the thud, thud of the road and a muffler in desperate need of repair . It was our only indication of the outside world. I struggled to get free from the handcuffs. "I don't know why you wanted to go along with this." I say. " I don't know. It seemed like a fun adventure." "Adventure?" I say, in disbelief. "Well, yeah. Does he honestly look like a threat?" "No." "There you go." "I still don't like being in handcuffs." I say. "Come here." I scoot to Olivia. She bends her head low and plucks a bobby pin out of her hair. Then, just like in the movies, she uses the bobby pin to free us of the handcuffs. I rub my wrists where my shackles were. "I can't believe that worked." "Believe it." She replies. I notice shortly after there is no more thud, thud or noisy muffler. "You hear that?" I say. "Hear what?" "Exactly." I clench my fists in anticipation. I knew the door would swing open any minuet and I would be prepared.

Kidnapped

The agent ordered us at gunpoint to slap the handcuffs on ourselves. He then threw us in the back of an unmarked van. There were no windows. We had idea what was going on or where he was taking us. One was clear though, and that was that we were two people in the wrong place at the wrong time. I looked over at Olivia and she was unusually calm. "We didn't get to heart them, but I think I may be able to pick the locks." "Don't." She says. "Why?" "Because I want to see where this is going."

The Agent

We did as the agent said, lifting our hands far above our heads. We didn't see the agent as a threat, but sometimes it is better to do what others ask of you. Even if they seem to be a nuisance. "Who do you work for?" He shouts. "We don't work for anybody." I respond. "Who do you work for?" He asks again. "He's telling the truth. We don't work for anybody." Olivia says. "So you two are free agents?" "Something like that." "You know you two stumbled upon top secret government property?" "Yeah, we kinda gathered that." I say. "What did you see?" I shrug. "Nothing we understood." "Even if I believed you I couldn't let you two go." Olivia laughs to herself. "Something funny?" He snaps. "You think you can keep us?" "I do." The agent reaches into his breast pocket. He pulls out two pairs of handcuffs and tosses them to us. "Put them on." "No." "I'm not asking you." Olivia raises her palm. The agent quickly draws his gun on her. "I said put them on."

Crater

There was a huge crater, roughly about the size of a small house where the computer once stood. Smoke surrounded the area for minuets afterwards. When it finally cleared, the only remains we could see of the computer was a partially melted keyboard. I slid down the area to examine the wreckage. "Do you think that's a good idea?" Olivia asks. "No, I don't. But I'm curious." She shakes her head and follows after me. All I can seem to say is "Wow." Olivia, on the other hand is more observant. "We have to get out of here." "We can't leave just yet. Look how cool this is." "It's a big, empty hole. We can go. In fact we should go." "What's the rush?" She looks me dead in the eyes. "This was no accident." "That's right. This was no accident." A cold voice says from above. Olivia and I turn around real slowly. We see a man in a dark black suit and sunglasses. He points a silver gun at us. "Hands where I can see 'em."

Password?

Starting the computer with the charge from Olivia's bubble was no problem. The problem was when we got to the main frame. It was an archaic system with green graphics. It asked us the password.  I told Olivia to type random keys. Of course it didn't work. It asked for the password again. We tried a few more times to enter a random password without any luck. Eventually the monitor said in bold letters. FINAL CHANCE FOR PASSWORD. She typed another password. A bold green X popped up followed by the image of a skull and crossbones. "That can't be good." Olivia says out loud. The image of the skull and crossbones changed quickly to the number 10. "That really can't be good." I say in a panicked voice. The number changes to 9, and then 8. Olivia jumps up from the computer and pulls me away with her. We make it out just in the nick of time. A laser falls from the sky. It hits the computer, exploding it into many tiny pieces. Flaming debris flies everywhere.

Island of Misfit Toys

"What makes you so sure this isn't just a regular dump?" I ask. "Well.." Olivia searches for something to back up her claim. She picks up a tiny, electronic key chain. It makes beeping noises. "Is that a Giga Pet?" "It is." "So, what is this where relics of the 90's go?" "And older. Look around. This is like the Island of Misfit Toys. All these devices are still good."  I furrow my brow. "Are you suggesting we find a nice home for all these toys?" Olivia shakes her head. "No, but I see no reason why we can't take something with us." "Fair enough. How about this guy?" I say, pointing to the old computer. "I was thinking something a little bit smaller and lighter." "We don't have to take it. We can just see what's on it." Olivia nods. "That does sound intriguing. However, we are faced with one problem." "What's that?" I ask. "No power outlet." "We don't need a power outlet." "Oh, we don't." "Nope. You can generate enough power with your shield." "You think that would work?" She asks, sounding very doubtful of my plan. I smile. "I know it will."

Landfill

I'm not sure how far the town extended. There were never any signs indicating that we were in a new place, and the only landmark was corn. Followed by corn, and the occasional barn or silo. It was clear we were in the middle of nowhere. The scenery did change eventually. However, it didn't change to anything better. It changed to a landfill. There were piles and piles of garbage everywhere. The interesting thing though is that none of it looked like garbage. Noting was decayed or falling apart. The air was fresh, not rancid. The garbage trucks didn't even look like garbage trucks. They were all white panel semi trucks. Growing more curious by the minuet, Olivia and I spied on one of the semi trucks. The truck driver got out of his truck. He opened the back, and he took out an old computer. After carefully placing it on the ground, he got back in his truck and he drove off. Olivia and I examined the relic computer after he left. To our amazement there was no external damage. Everything seemed alight on the outside. "Why do you think he threw it out?" Olivia asks. "Who knows? It probably has some sort of virus." Olivia looks around. There are all sorts of things that appear fine on the outside such as clothing and electronics. They all have one thing in common she notes. They're all out dated. "I don't think this is a landfill." She says. "What is it then?" "I think its just a place were old models of things go."

Not the Movies

In the movies when the hero discovers a cool, yet failing business they hatch a brilliant plan. Usually this involves throwing up flyers around town and announcing a big sale/ party. More people always come then expected. They realize how cool this business is and wonder why they have never been there before. Everyone is happy. Roll credits. But this is real life. Things don't always pan out that way. Sometimes they do, but more often than not they don't. In real life the owner often has only a month or a couple weeks before they inevitably have to shut down. It sucks, but that's just the way things are sometimes. Olivia and I took our little chat with the arcade owner as a sign that perhaps this town offered all that it could for us and maybe it was time for us to move on. As Morgan Freeman said in Shawshank Redemption "Get busy living or get busy dying."

The Arcade

The arcade was truly remarkable. It was filled with nothing but classic 80's games. Pac- Man, Spy Hunter, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. You name it, they had it. But the best part was that there no one else in the arcade. Meaning there was no lines. There was no waiting for any of the games. We could play as long as we desired, and we did. We played for hours. My eyes were blood shot. I wasn't even aware how much time had passed. That is until a man in his forties tapped me on the shoulder. He pointed to the clock on the wall. It read 12 a.m. He didn't seem upset at all, but wanted to let me know that I should probably wrap up my game. I did just that, and I met Olivia outside. It was dark outside, but my fragile eyes could not handle the street lights at the moment. I looked down at my feet, then I heard a door close behind. I turned around to see the man locking up the arcade. I apologize to him again. He smiles and tells me he's glad someone came in. "You don't get a lot of people coming in?" Olivia asks. "Nope. No need for it." "What do you mean?" He shakes his head. "Think about it. No one wants to come in anymore. Not when you can have all these games at home." "But it's so much better at the arcade." I say. He smiles again. "I know that but.." He shrugs. "It's just how things are." "What are you gonna do?" Olivia asks. "Gonna sell it. Or at least sell the games." "That's a shame." Olivia says. He nods slowly. "I know, but I gotta get with the times."

Two Options

It was obvious to us that the entire neighborhood had been under as spell. What wasn't so obvious to us was the how and the why. We were faced with two options. We could solve this mini mystery, or we could forget about it. Initially we choose the former. We thought it would be fun to sink our teeth into. The only problem was that in order for me to think properly I needed to walk. So we went on a long walk. The  scenery gradually changed from suburban neighborhood back to farmland. We must of walked for hours and we realized we were not getting anywhere. Literally and figuratively. Then I looked around. I saw an old fashioned arcade, and it was open. I asked Olivia if she wanted to kill some time at the arcade. She shrugged, thinking "What's the harm?"

Remember Us?

"Excuse me." I say as calmly as I can to the man in the bathrobe. But it is no use. I know that I gave him a freight as he clutches his heart. I apologize many times. "It's ok. My fault. I'm usually awake by now, but I'm not." "Do you remember us?" I ask him. The man studies me and Olivia. "No." "Think real hard." Olivia says. The man blows a raspberry. "I'm sorry. I'm drawing a blank. Who are you?" "We were treat or treaters." I reply. "When?" "Last night." "Is this a joke? Halloween was nearly a week ago." "It was, but the trick or treating went on for days." I say. "Bit early to be drinking. Don't you think?" He sneers. "You don't believe us?" Olivia asks. "No. Of course I don't. Why would I?" "Because you were there." I shout. "If I was there then why don't I remember it?" "Because you were under a spell. We all were." The man lifts up his hand, urging us to stop. "I've had just about enough of this." He starts to walk away. "We're not making it up." He turns around. "Enough. If you don't stop these ridiculous stories I will call the cops." The man walks away into his house. We hear the front door lock behind him. Olivia turns to me. "It did happen, right?" "Of course it did."

After Treats

I woke up bruised and bloody. I hurt everywhere. The pavement took off a layer of skin on my face, but my legs finally were giving me a rest. For that I was thankful. Olivia stood over me. She offered her hand. I took it, and she lifted me off the ground. "Thanks." I say. "For what?" She asks. "Breaking the spell. How'd you think to do that?" Olivia shrugs. "Lucky guess." "Well, it worked. I don't feel great right now, but at least I'm not trapped in an endless cycle." "Amen to that." I take a look around. It's daylight. Our trick or treater friends are gone, there's no Halloween  decorations to be seen, and some how the big pile of candy is also gone. "Where did they go?" I ask. "They left." "I know that, but where did they go?" "I don't know. I also blacked out." I stare at the ground. "There was an enormous pile of candy here." Olivia nods. "There was." "Where did it go?" "I don't know. They took it." "How?" Olivia half smiles. "You're asking questions that I don't know how to answer." I scratch my head. "Did that happen last night?" "I think it did." Olivia says. "Maybe it wasn't here." I say. "But it looks the same." "Indeed it does." I see a man in a bathrobe taking his trash can to the curb. I start to walk to him. "Where are you going?" Olivia asks. "I'm gonna ask that man if he remembers seeing us." "You think that's a good idea? He might think we're crazy." "You're right. But this is all I got right now."

Spellbound

We didn't want to go on, but we continued anyways going to the same houses over and over in and endless cycle. It was as if they put a spell on us and our legs were not our own. I watched as the mummy and the witch emptied their bags on the pavement. It grew and grew into an impressive pile. The sun set and rose. The weather changed, but we did not. Finally, I glanced at my wristwatch. It read Fri, Nov 3rd. "Guys, I think we stop." I say, weakly. "Are you kidding me? We just started." The witch says. "It's the third of November." I reply. The kids look at me blankly. "So?" "So? Your parents will be worried." Olivia says. The witch and the mummy laugh. "They will." Olivia shouts. The witch and the mummy turn and continue trick or treating. I don't want to move. I want to stop. I want to sleep. But my legs keep going. They won't allow me to rest. "Lean forward." Olivia says. "What?" "Lean forward." She says again. "And as much as you can." I do as she says, not knowing why. The top half of my body practically hits the ground. "Go lower." She says. I bend even lower. My knuckles now scrape against the pavement. I feel a slight sense of embarrassment. This must be the silliest sight. Me, fully bent over, dragging my knuckles across the pavement like an ape. Then I feel nothing but pain. I trip over myself and I hit the ground hard.

Cul de Sac

The witch and the Mummy pulled us out of the dark and into a well lit, suburban cul de sac. There were a total of five houses on the cul de sac and each of them had the adult of the household warmly waiting outside the front door with a big bowl of candy. After we hit all the houses on the cul de sac, Olivia and I expected to continue along the block. Instead the mummy and the witch turned around and did another tour of the houses on the cul de sac. None of the adults seemed to mind though. They happily passed out candy to us again. We continued our second tour of theses houses, then we turned around and did a third, and a fourth, and so on and so on. Olivia and I didn't bring any bags, but the mummy and the witch did and their bags were rapidly filling up. "I think we should call it a night." Olivia suggests. The mummy and the witch looked at her as if she were crazy. "Your bags, they're full. " She points out. "Good point." The witch says. She and mummy dump their bags on the pavement. "Now we can get more." She shouts. "But it's November now." I say. "So, it's always trick or treating time. " The mummy replies. The mummy and the witch run happily off to the first house, starting yet another tour of the houses.

The Mummy and the Witch

Initially we weren't in the Halloween spirit, and it didn't exactly make sense for us to go trick or treating. But I make up this story as I go, so sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. We went to Mrs. Thomson's house, after that We went to Mr. Judd's, and then the Pike's. That's all we had time for, three houses. Each house was a few miles apart. After the Pike's it was significantly darker outside. Olivia and I decided this would be a nice time to stop. We were tired and not exactly in it. Olivia emptied her pockets. There was only a handful of candy. "That's it?" I say. "That's it." She repeats. "Well, it's more than we had." I say, grabbing a Twix bar. "Yeah, I guess we did alright for ourselves." "Don't tell me you're gonna give up." A voice says. I turn around to see a child dressed as a mummy. "We're old." I say to the mummy. "Nonsense." Another voice shouts. I wonder where it came from. Then all the sudden I see a girl dressed as a witch standing next to the mummy. "Where are your parents?" Olivia asks. "It's Halloween." The mummy responds. "That may be, but I'm sure tick or treating hours are over by now." "They've just started." The witch says. The mummy grabs my hand. "Come on." The witch grabs Olivia's hand. "Candy." "We're really done for the night." Olivia says. "Nonsense." The witch replies. The young trick or treaters are strong. Much stronger than one could have possibly anticipated, and just like that they dragged us out in the night for trick or treats.