Imagined Away

[CG]

Imagined Away
Written by: CG

Chapter 1: Lost

?I don?t know why we gotta move, I mean we were really happy where we were, weren?t we? All my friends were there ?n you had good jobs there and don?t you know for the first time I ever get a bouquet it?s for a going away present! That is totally unfair and??

The young girl had been babbling for quite some time, in the back seat of her parent?s car. It was normal, really. The girl, wearing blue overalls with cowboy boots and beneath the overalls was a rainbow shirt, had a habit of going on and on when upset, or excited, and right now it was a mixture of both. Out of the blue her father had scored a new job in a new company, the down side being that the new job was one whole state away meaning one big road trip.

?Now Goo remember, Daddy bought you that rose for your birthday. And you loved it didn?t you?? asked her mother, who was sat in the passenger seat in the front of the car. Her hair was black like her daughter?s, but her skin was much darker by comparison. Normally you?d see her in a uniform, but given she had to give up her job in support of her husband she wore a leisure suit.

?Well yeah sure I did but that?s just one flower this here is a bouquet, Mom, not a single flower!? Goo insisted, shaking her bouquet to emphasize the point; then watched in shock as a lot of the petals began falling. ?Mom! Omigod Mom, my flowers are dying just lookit them they?re going bald already!?

?I told you not to smother them so much.? Her mother replied gently.

It was another hour and a half until the car finally arrived into the city, and once they hit the city the road maps came out. They had to find a new suburb in a new town, so this wasn?t going to be easy. Goo watched the scenery whiz past from her window, trying not to look as impressed as she was with the surroundings. The city looked nice enough. Busy, as most towns are, but not over packed like their last city.

?Look Goo,? her father said, glancing out the window at an upcoming building. He too, like his wife, would be normally seen in a business suit. But today he was happy to reside in jeans and a shirt. His skin was dark too, but not as dark as his wife?s. ?There?s your new school. It looks wonderful.?

Goo slowly lifted herself up from the slump she had pushed herself into on the backseat to merely glance out at the building. It was a red-bricked building, with a long tall flagpole pinned out the front with the American flag waving patriotically. It looked like the school had been there for years and the city had grew up around it. Goo voiced her feelings on the school with a raspberry.

The trip continued along without much fuss and bother, at least until the car came to an abrupt stop at the foot of a hill. Goo, who hadn?t been paying that much attention, sat up. ?What?s going on are we broken down?? she asked, leaning forward to see into the front of the car.

?No, nothing?s wrong. Dad?s just got us lost.? Her mother said, glancing around at the surroundings. It wasn?t what you?d expect to find in a city. Trees were everywhere; the road was turning into cobblestones? totally out of place.

?No I don?t, look.? Goo?s father pointed outside the window. Just above the greenery you could spot a row of houses. ?That?s our new house right there, the blue one on the end. This must be the turn off or? something.? There were ?gated? communities, why wouldn?t some communities have an entrance that passes through some woods? Seemed very welcoming and calming, really.

?All right then, but let?s hurry. We?ll miss the movers.?

The car started up again, and Goo watched as the greenery of the woods enveloped the car in shaded darkness. The trees rushed past, and for a moment she thought she spotted a strange statue amidst all the trees. It was round, and had a grinning face like a frog. If a frog could smile. She lost sight of it once the road got bumpy, and at the speed her father was travelling did little to help. The bags around the back with her began to shake as the road got bumpier and bumpier.

?Honey slow down you?re going to kill us!? Goo heard her mother scold, but right before he could say anything the car suddenly came to a screeching halt.

Very slowly Goo lifted herself up to see through the front window. There was the statue again; it looked just like the other one only this one was right in the middle of the road. And beyond it, was a huge red building that took up the pathway. The only way through was a single tunnel, big enough for people, but not for cars.

?What the?? her father said.

?I told you we were going the wrong way, and now we?re more late then ever-honey no, get back in the car.? Seemed Goo?s father had other plans besides listening to his wife chiding him for being wrong. He?d unstrapped his seatbelt and got out of the car. As soon as he did, Goo followed suit. ?Goo, no! ?fine.? With that a very reluctant mother got out of the car too.

[CG]

By now her husband was stood by the building and put his hand to it. It wasn’t rock, or cement either. Or even brick. “This is fake.” He said as Goo came to a stop besides him. “But what’s it doing here…”

“Yeah it’s really weird isn’t it?” Goo asked, knocking on the red ‘building’ experimentally.

“Guys we don’t have time for this we have to make it to the house in time for the movers!” Goo’s mother started, coming to a stop behind the two.

“Relax, they have the keys they can start without us. Come on, let’s check it out.”

After a little persuasion the family began walking down the tunnel. At first Goo had protested, saying it was too weird in a ‘horror movie’ type of way saying she didn’t want to. Her parents said that was fine and she was free to wait by the car, or in it, whilst they explored instead. Appalled at the idea of being left alone, Goo quickly followed. The tunnel was longer then they all expected, it took them a good two minutes to end up in a big room at the end of it.

Shards of light splashed across the floor and walls from colourful windows. And taking up most of the space were seats you’d expect to find in ancient train stations. Wooden, old, some nearly rotting. It was dead quiet save for a few gusts of wind that managed to squeeze down the same tunnel they had been through, to burst through the door opposite it. Suddenly another noise filled the air; that of a tram. The chugging of the wheels was easily recognised, and the ringing of a bell.

“We must be near a tram station.” Her father said, “But why would one be all the way out here…” he stated walking again, his wife and daughter in tow, until they emerged from the exit/entrance of the building. What they saw was not what they were expecting.

Miles and miles of green hills everywhere. Various statues were scattered across the countryside. This really was not what you would expect to see in the middle of a city. In fact, you could not even see the city anywhere. The only signs of life were a whole ‘town’ of stores just across the way above a few hills. Goo’s father turned, to look up at the red building. It was larger and impressive on this side, with a tin roof and a large clock tower.

“I know what this is.” He finally said.

“Really?” Goo asked, looking up also. Massive clouds – bigger then any she had ever seen – floated serenely overhead making it seem the building was slowly moving forward. “Cuz what is it?”

“It’s an abandoned theme park.” He concluded. “They made so much of these throughout the years, but most of em went bust when the economy fell flat.”

It seemed like a reasonable explanation, so no one questioned it. Again after some more small talk the family began walking further into the new ‘world’ they had discovered. The breeze was cool and fresh, and the smell of the grass was unlike anything else. Eventually they came to what could have been made a river. Large smooth boulders cut right across the hills right before a set of stairs that led the way up to the chain of stores.

Whilst he was helping his wife across the rocks, Goo’s father caught scent of something. Food. Something was cooking.

“Hey smell that?” he asked as he took his wife’s hand. “Something smells… fantastic.” She too took a sniff of the air. She couldn’t place the smell (a cross between beef and chicken with some seafood maybe?) but whatever it was it smelt mouth-watering. “Maybe they haven’t gone out of business after all.” He said, and continued to lead his family up the steps. As they did, they passed another statue. This one was a big frog, as big as Goo, with it’s mouth agape. If you looked closely, it would appear like it had spouted water in the past, which had left green stains on the stone steps beneath it. But since the family wasn’t interested in looking at statues, they missed it completely.

The town really was nothing but restaurants. But not like the ones you see now days, with pimply faced teenagers behind the counters, specials or toys available with kids meals. They were actual stores, with glass panelling and sliding doors. Unlit lanterns hung around their rooves, and no signs were anywhere. It was deserted too. Not a soul to be seen, or be heard. But still the family continued on, following the scent on the breeze. It wasn’t long until they found what they were after.

It was the only one open, a huge buffet built in a square with all the stoves and cooking utensils (and meat) in the centre whilst all the food they had prepared on the buffet. There were huge fish heads (yum?), platters stocked high with food of all kinds. But nothing like Goo had seen before. She expected one platter was quail, since the birds were so small. Others had pieces of crayfish. It changed from platter to platter, and indeed all of it smelt so mouth-wateringly delicious even a super model would buckle at the knees and eat everything in sight.

“Oh wow. It looks delicious!” her mother took a seat at the buffet, looking at the bountiful food.

“Hello? Anyone here?”

When no answer came, the two parents debated. They couldn’t just ignore the food, oh no! How could they not? They hadn’t eaten anything decent since yesterday, having to feed off fast food chains along the highway. After a whole day of eating that you want something good and fresh and tasty in your stomachs. So they’d eat now, but wait until someone return so they can pay for him or her.

[CG]

Goo wanted nothing to do with it, though. She didn’t want to eat small birds and fish heads! Gross! So each time her parents would ask her to try some she shook her head, and kept insisting they’ll get in trouble and they should leave. But still her parents continued to eat, passing food to each other, spreads, toppings, everything in sight.

After a few minutes of watching her parents consume everything in their path, Goo felt a bit sickened at the sight. Knowing they’d be fine, she turned and headed off down the street of the ‘town’ and kept going. She passed many a store, each as empty and deserted as the last. Until finally she came to the end of the stores, and before her stood a bridge. A large red bridge, and just beyond that was a house.

The house was huge, amazing since she hadn’t spotted it before. Its bricks were red and brown in colour, a large entranceway, windows everywhere and steam emitting from the side of it. Goo stood, transfixed for a few moments at the sheer scale of it, and also what it was. It was a bathhouse. But she had never seen one in America. One time her father went on a business trip to Japan, she had gone with him, and had seen them all throughout Japan. But in America it was unheard of. Bathing with other people? Oh no, hide your shames!

She smiled a bit before walking out onto the bridge, and looked over the edge. Far (and I mean far) beneath her was a tunnel. And almost like it was waiting for her to look for it, the tram that was three carts long, shot past beneath her. “Hey there’s the tram!” Goo declared in delight at having spotted it. She thus rushed to the other side of the bridge to watch it vanish. It was here she suddenly felt that feeling you get when someone is watching you. She turned her head.

Who knew how long he had been stood there? It was a young boy, at least a year or two younger then her, and he was staring at her as if he’d never seen a girl before. His hair was brown, whilst his clothes were blue. He continued to stare for a few moments before finally finding his voice. “Wha, what are you doing here?” he asked, sounding worried.

“Huh? Well my folks got lost ‘n then we found the way into here ‘n now…” Goo started, but the young boy cut her off and grabbed her arm.

“You can’t stay here, you have to get out of here and get beyond the river before night time!” he insisted, managing to drag her along despite their weight and height differences. Goo was in a state of shock, but then she realised just how late it was. Already the sun was vanishing into the horizon, darkness over taking the light. The lanterns along the stores magically began to light themselves. The boy gasped as he looked over his shoulder. “Oh shoot, they’ve started to light the lanterns! Go, run! I’ll keep them busy just go now!”

He shoved her, and still in a state of surprise Goo kept going in the direction he had shoved her. Even if he was kind of bossy he still seemed honestly concerned for her well-being. Maybe this WAS going to become something out of a horror movie? Goo’s blood run cold at the very idea, and ran through the stores back tow here her parents were. Already some of the shops were opening, the darkness bringing them to life. She was so concentrated on locating her parents she failed to see that the store vendors were waking up as well, if you could call them vendors.

They were unlike anything any of us would have seen. They were like shadows, living shadows. Black in colour, but transparent so you could see what was behind them. They even seemed to move through walls, the floor, anything. Their eyes were white dots in their heads, and that was their only feature.

“Mom Dad!” Goo shouted as she finally found her parents. The mess around them was astonishing. Plates and platters were over turned, food was on the floor, and the mess was astronomical. Goo tugged on her father’s arm, “Dad c’mon we gotta go now before somethin’ awful happens ‘n…”

She stopped. The head that turned to greet here was not of her father’s. It was a giant pig. A slobbering, disgusting, massive pig. Besides it also was another pig, this one a sow. Both were wearing her parent’s clothes. The male pig closest to Goo flicked an ear before turning away, to climb up onto the buffet to get at some more food. But suddenly it squealed as a snapping sound filled the air. The vendor had returned, and using a used flyswatter (gross), was slapping the pig away. After enough terrible lashings the giant pig fell onto its side.

This was enough for Goo to handle, she screamed, turned, and ran through the streets. Unlike before, this time she realised the vendors. They moved around her, as if she was the one out of place here. She cried for her mother and father as she ran through the streets, but remembered what that kid had said. Make it beyond the river. She finally found the stairs and the frog and began rushing down the steps but suddenly found herself waist deep in water!

“Waugh!” Goo screamed, “Water?!” she cried, turning and climbing back up the steps. She looked again. An enormous river took up where the hills had been. Beyond the river, she could see the tower where her family had passed what just felt like a few minutes ago. Shops now surrounded it as well, lit in the darkness. It reflected off the river, and she could hear the commotion coming from there where she stood.

[CG]

But where was she? She didn’t even know that. Were her parents really pigs?

Just what was happening?

To be continued

~*~

Wow. I so have to stop writing so detailed. I get so little into one post, what with only allowing 1,000 characters. x_x Anyway. Enjoy! EXPECT FANART.

[BlooCheese]

Whoa! Exciting, suspenseful, and a little bit creepy. What happens next?

[kageri]

Fanart?! *IS VERY EXCITED*

This is awesome. I never would have expected a crossover (of sorts... more like a plot-crossover?) with this awesome movie and Foster's, and never would have thought of Goo being the main character. Makes total sense, though, now that I think about it.

["C" the Dragon]

This is becoming intresting! And by aways, I own the movie "Spirited Away" on VHS! Cool, huh?

[KazooBloo]

Sad.