Leaving Home Ain't Easy (But May Be The Only Way)

1. The Dreamer's Ball

August 2nd
12:39 am.

A young man sat alone in a dark room, lit only by the light of his laptop, a picture reflecting off of his glasses. A woman smiles back at him from the screen. Her name crosses his mind.

Maris. Whatever happened to you? You disappear out of nowhere, then a week later, on your birthday no less, I get a cryptic note in your handwriting, not to mention it being written in the secret language we made up as kids, that says that you'll see me again. What in the name of everything good, holy, or otherwise is that supposed to mean?

With a sigh, he closed his laptop and made himself comfortable in his bed. But sleep was not his friend tonight, so instead he laid awake, a million thoughts bouncing around in his mind like a gymnasium in the middle of a particularly violent game of dodgeball.

He idly wondered if he should play a game, to pass the time and to help clear his mind. He decided on Animal Crossing as his Switch was one of the few things not packed away in preparation for his impending move. As the game opened onto the island of Alderwood, he could feel himself relax.

Wandering around his island, he decided to visit his villagers. Coming across Cranston's house, he figured that this would be as good a place as any to start.

Entering his house, he talked to the ibis.

"Oh hey buddy! Make yourself at home!"

Opting to chat with Cranston further, he was met with a fourth wall breaking conversation.

"You know, I heard a rumor that all of this is just a game. That we're all just here for the amusement of someone else behind a screen. It kinda makes sense too. Haven't you ever found it odd that we sell stuff to Timmy and Tommy to get Bells that we give back to Tom Nook to pay off loans that he put on us? And those balloons that float over the island? Where do they come from?" Cranston went on in this manner for a bit longer. Eventually, he got his point out.

"Oh well, even if this is all a game, I still am happy that I met you, Leo. Even if this all could end tomorrow, I could face it knowing that I spent my time here with you. I trust whoever is out there, though. They seem pretty cool." And on that odd note, the conversation ended.

Huh, that's odd. That's not the usual dialogue, is it? Usually they would say something like 'you should have seen the look on your face' or something like that. That was kinda dark with the whole ending tomorrow thing. Or maybe I'm just imagining things. It is one in the morning after all.

As Leo went around the island, talking to the other residents, digging up fossils, and doing the other various tasks around the island, Cranston's words ingrained themselves inside his head like the roots of some accursed tree. They felt personal, like Cranston wasn't just talking to his in-game self but to him. He tried to shake off the feeling, to tell himself that it was just dialog that was put through the filter of exhaustion that had plagued him since he began packing to move, but the feeling simply persisted. The tree wouldn't be being dug up anytime soon, it seemed.

Soon after, Leo made a vow to himself to never delete this island, as even though they were ostensibly just lines of code and 3-D models in a made up game world, they also were his friends that he had made up elaborate stories for in his head. Their world felt real to him. They felt like a constant, a rock, in a life that was filled with turbulence.

Eventually, the well of things Leo could do to stave off the sleepiness ran dry. He saved his game, turned off the console, and laid down. Sleep finally granted him its embrace.

An empty void all around. In the center, only him. He can't tell if he is standing or floating. Colors, patterns, and sounds surround him. One such phantom, seemingly no more special than the millions of others around, catches his attention. Its whispers become more coherent the longer he pays attention to it. At once it is a voice calling from the darkness, a humanoid figure with no face, flickers of colors, and nothing at all. Out of nothing, something materializes. A table and two chairs are now before him. Now a figure sits in the far chair. They beckon, gesturing to the other chair, inviting him to sit and talk.

He sits down, sinking into the chair slightly. He thinks that it is perhaps the most comfortable chair he has ever been in. Looking over at his new conversational partner, he finds that they now have a face. He asks the first question that comes to his mind.

"Where are we?"

An answer arrives. "The Void. Your dream. A gateway to every world that has ever existed. A plane beyond comprehension. Take your pick."

He asks the next question he thinks of.

"Who are you?"

Another answer. "My name is Alto. And you?"

"I'm… Leo. I guess." To be honest he wasn't entirely sure who he was.

"Ah, exactly the right person I was looking for. You have been summoned to this place for a reason. You have a choice to make." They then launched directly into a spiel that Leo missed most of.

At a minor break in their speech, Leo managed to get a word in.

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt, but roughly 95% of that whole thing just went right over my head. Could we go back over that again? It sounded pretty damn important."

Alto appeared apologetic and even perhaps a touch embarrassed, at least from what he could see. Not that there was much to see. Their facial features were… vague at best.

"My deepest apologies, dear Dreamer. I got a bit carried away there, didn't I? I suppose the idea of what I was going on about would be that you have a choice. You can leave your old life behind. You can start over in a new world, one of your own choice. Or you can stay, and move on with the life you have here."

Leo's confusion only grew. Leaving his life behind? To go to another world? It sounded all too vague to his skeptical mind.

"Could you possibly elaborate on that? The whole starting over bit? Sorry if I'm asking a lot of questions, I'm kinda confused about all this."

"You don't have to apologize. It's quite alright to ask things. As for what I was getting at, there are many worlds out there. You have the opportunity to choose any world you like, and be transported there to permanently live out the rest of your life. You don't have to go anywhere if you do not wish to, however, and you have…" They trailed off briefly, pulling a piece of paper from seemingly nowhere and squinting at it.

"About a week. That is before you have to decide whether or not to stay."

"Oh. That makes a bit more sense, I guess. Why me, though? Isn't there someone who could use this chance more?"

"The answers you seek will come to you soon enough. We shall meet again. You have time to make a decision. But when the time is nigh, you must choose. Now it is time for you to…"

Wake

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