Narciso Anasui (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
disassemblies) wrote2024-04-23 02:27 pm
disassemblies) wrote2024-04-23 02:27 pm
ignore this
CW: grief, depression, bullying, parental neglect, isolation, hopelessness
A blue-black-gold crack in the world greets you, hovering ominously in Caleb's front yard. Several of the mochi cat creations lay in tower-pile nearby, crying out mournfully while a concerned Delcatty tries to calm them. Every so often, a strange almost-spark crackles from the entrance and sets them off again. Caleb's Dewott seems to be trying to guard it, or at least keep the creations out of it. He'll stand down when you approach, though. You, at least, aren't likely to end up so much squished mochi cat if you go in.
So. You go in. And maybe you want to go back out almost as soon as you step in, because the place before you is unsettling in the worst way. You now stand on a dilapidated and unsafe train station platform, looking out over what might be a black sun and the ruins of a space station. There are holes in the platform and it looks like it might give way at the slightest provocation. It is dead silent. There is not a soul around.
At the end of the platform stands a train that once upon a time might have been gorgeous. Now it's rusted and dingy, the lights broken and the doors sealed shut.
And then you approach. What lights aren't broken flicker to life and the doors start to slowly, painfully creak open. A recorded voice rings out: "The Astral Express is now boarding. All passengers, please make sure you have all of your belongings and step aboard." The recording crackles, and then repeats. And repeats. And repeats and repeats and repeats, each repetition more and more degraded. By the time you all step on board, it's barely words. It's barely a voice.
You step aboard. The doors creak shut. The train jerks, and then off the Astral Express goes.
The interior of the train is...somewhat better than the exterior. The interior is covered in trash with a narrow path going from one end of the car to the other, but the benches all seem perfectly safe to sit on. The lights in the parlor car all work, as well.
Unhinged laughter comes from the stairs leading up to the platform at the other end. There stands Caleb, tired and clearly not doing so hot, and...another Caleb? It looks a little like him, but instead of a shock of black hair and bright blue eyes like the real Caleb, this one has half-silver, half-black hair and glowing gold eyes. His clothes look like they were run through a shredder before he got them.
The Not-Caleb laughs again. "Oh, great," he says with a sigh. "Guests. And here I thought we'd have all the time in the world to break you down, Caleb! Eh, whatever." He opens the door, tugging Caleb (who you can now see is tied to this Not-Caleb) along after him. We'll just continue our conversation somewhere else while they rot. Toodles~"
"No, wait, lemme--" Caleb's pleas are silenced by the door slamming shut behind him.
He looked terrified.
A blue-black-gold crack in the world greets you, hovering ominously in Caleb's front yard. Several of the mochi cat creations lay in tower-pile nearby, crying out mournfully while a concerned Delcatty tries to calm them. Every so often, a strange almost-spark crackles from the entrance and sets them off again. Caleb's Dewott seems to be trying to guard it, or at least keep the creations out of it. He'll stand down when you approach, though. You, at least, aren't likely to end up so much squished mochi cat if you go in.
So. You go in. And maybe you want to go back out almost as soon as you step in, because the place before you is unsettling in the worst way. You now stand on a dilapidated and unsafe train station platform, looking out over what might be a black sun and the ruins of a space station. There are holes in the platform and it looks like it might give way at the slightest provocation. It is dead silent. There is not a soul around.
At the end of the platform stands a train that once upon a time might have been gorgeous. Now it's rusted and dingy, the lights broken and the doors sealed shut.
And then you approach. What lights aren't broken flicker to life and the doors start to slowly, painfully creak open. A recorded voice rings out: "The Astral Express is now boarding. All passengers, please make sure you have all of your belongings and step aboard." The recording crackles, and then repeats. And repeats. And repeats and repeats and repeats, each repetition more and more degraded. By the time you all step on board, it's barely words. It's barely a voice.
You step aboard. The doors creak shut. The train jerks, and then off the Astral Express goes.
The interior of the train is...somewhat better than the exterior. The interior is covered in trash with a narrow path going from one end of the car to the other, but the benches all seem perfectly safe to sit on. The lights in the parlor car all work, as well.
Unhinged laughter comes from the stairs leading up to the platform at the other end. There stands Caleb, tired and clearly not doing so hot, and...another Caleb? It looks a little like him, but instead of a shock of black hair and bright blue eyes like the real Caleb, this one has half-silver, half-black hair and glowing gold eyes. His clothes look like they were run through a shredder before he got them.
The Not-Caleb laughs again. "Oh, great," he says with a sigh. "Guests. And here I thought we'd have all the time in the world to break you down, Caleb! Eh, whatever." He opens the door, tugging Caleb (who you can now see is tied to this Not-Caleb) along after him. We'll just continue our conversation somewhere else while they rot. Toodles~"
"No, wait, lemme--" Caleb's pleas are silenced by the door slamming shut behind him.
He looked terrified.
End of Maze
Before groaning and just collapsing, freezing over solid without a fight at all and shattering the maze behind it. As it does, one final memory plays out on the ice on the walls by the door. It's the most recent of the ones you've seen today, probably taking place just days ago. Caleb stands in a thrift store with an elderly person, clearly helping them get things they can't reach. It's surprisingly happy, all things considered, with Caleb laughing and talking to the elder like they're his grandparent.
As he helps them load things into their rideshare, the elder smiles. "What did you say your name was, dear?"
"Oh, Caleb."
"Caleb. And you said you do...the doordashing?"
"Yep!" He smiles. "Doesn't pay all that well, but hey, it's a job!"
"It is!" They laugh. "But surely there's something else you'd rather be doing? You're such a nice man, and so smart. You could do so much more than that!"
Ah. The smile stays, but whatever Caleb says to the elder is lost to what is clearly his inner thoughts. "You can't even see the raccoon tail. Tomorrow I might be a freakin' walking black hole, or I might not even be here, or who the hell knows? There's no point. I'll just stick to the gigs. It's fine. Really!"
There's no intercom interruption this time.
Continue?