BROODHOLLOW: A Game of Oubliette

THE OLD SHOP OWNER

Wadsworth wanders through the void continuously with no one around. An apartment building appears in his sight. Great, he said, I bet there's some people living in there. He runs towards it and before he goes inside, the nearby payphone rings.

He brings the receiver to his ear. "Hello?"

"Wadsworth! You're almost there! My home is number 1804, floor 18." It was the same voice.

"You live here?" Wadsworth asked, "Okay, well I have the tin of black pepper that you wanted."

"Aw, thank you!" the voice laughed, "I'll be waiting for you there."

The call ends, and Wadsworth enters the building.

He does notice that the Stillwood Realm does resemble the 1920s, as he examines the building's interior full of doors, like a hotel, except each floor has four apartments, and there are only two elevators. He opens the accordion gate and steps into one of them. On the panel are only buttons that lead to each floor; 1 to 30. The caller told him that he lives on floor 18, so Wadsworth closes the gate and presses button 18. The elevator goes upwards with the humming sound of a pulley operating heard above him.

The elevator stops at floor 18 and he exits before closing the gate behind him. This floor has rooms 1801 to 1804. He walks to his right of the building with his bag of items and the tin of black pepper in the bag with him. He arrives to the door with the number 1804 on it. Whoever lives in here that phoned him might have answers for him. He rings the doorbell, and waits patiently. A click sound. He opens the door and goes inside.

The apartment is just like every one: furniture, plants, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Except this one is filled with antique gadgets and objects from the 19th century. The clocks are ticking and a phonograph is playing After The Ball by George J. Gaskin.

"Hello hello hello, whoever you are, I have the black pepper right here." Wadsworth called. The door closes.

He continues exploring and spots a man standing in the parlour. He couldn't tell who it is as the man is facing the window away from the salesman.

Another skeleton, with a tall head and wearing a suit and a bowler hat enters. "Someone just came inside. He has the black pepper."

"Yes, Mort. I heard." The man chuckled. Then he turns around to see his nephew.

Wadsworth remembered. He's the same man like in the newspaper, but he's alive? "Uncle Virgil?"

Virgil speaks. "Yes, Wad! You have the black pepper? I need it as medicine for bone health and wound healing."

Wadsworth is speechless and he slowly pulls out the tin from the paper bag. The old man is amazed at the black pepper.

"Thank you, my boy." Virgil laughed as he takes the tin from his nephew's hand and brings it to the kitchen.

"You are alive?! And the one who phoned me?!" Wadsworth erupted, "How's it possible?"

"Don't get too worked up, my boy. I'll make you some nice tea for us." Virgil sets up a bowl of herbs, a glass of sugar, and hot water to make tea for everyone as Cadavre enters the apartment. "Cadavre! So glad that you're here too! Come have a seat, I made some fresh tea."

Cadavre sits down and takes his cup. "Merci, Virgil."

"Your blood was in your shop's stockroom, when I arrived to Broodhollow." said Wadsworth.

"You found my blood?!" Virgil gasped. His nephew actually found his blood in his former shop. "Sorry, that was from the moment the Stitched Man cut my arm when he attacked me." He sighed as he pulls up his sleeve to reveal a large scar tissue on his arm. "Then I managed to open my eyes to chase him away. He hated being seen."

Wadsworth felt a face of sorrow and sympathy. "Everyone in the real Broodhollow thought that you were dead, uncle. But your gravestone isn't anywhere when I was in a cemetery."

His uncle nodded, "Since everyone in that town kept forgetting, no one believed my story, and believed that I was going bonkers." He picks up a big book as he continued, "I attempted to take my own life by sinking myself down to the bottom of Oubliette Lake in the Stillwood Forest, but then I suddenly ended up here, still alive."

"I'm sorry to hear, Uncle Virgil. The same things happened to me too when I arrived to Broodhollow after receiving your letter." Wadsworth murmured.

"You've got my letter? Sweet!" said Virgil, "I just allowed Loucks & Harth to send it to you before I jumped into the lake. Because I thought maybe you're better at showing proof than me."

"No one believed me either, so I kept my discoveries to myself before I arrived to here. Now, I need some answers to how to stop the crazy me and prevent Broodhollow from forgetting."

"You're talking about the Fray?" Virgil asked in shock, "Mrs. Isquith told me about it."

"What's the Fray?" his nephew asked.

"The Fray is an anomaly that affects every living organism's mind to remove fragments of the memories and replace them with false ones. None of us are sure what it is, but I saw what it looked like." Virgil revealed.

"You did?!" Wadsworth inhaled.

Virgil continued, "It's a very old washcloth, Wadsworth. And I saw who used it."

"Who?" Wadsworth wondered.

Virgil is not even sure what to say about the owner of the Fray. He took a little sip of tea from his cup and sighs. "The Emissary of Dusk. A black alien as tall as a pine tree, with multiple limbs, red abstract lines, and five glowing lights above it like a halo."

Wadsworth's eyes widen as he remembered seeing that thing when he was returning to Broodhollow from the hospital with Dr. Angstrom and Iris. "I saw it too!"

"It's very powerful and dangerous, my precious boy." said Virgil, "Memories can be restored by other people through reason. At any moment, the Emissary of Dusk will find us and mess up our heads!"

"Then how are we supposed to stop all this?!" Wadsworth questioned.

"Everyone stop!" Mort snapped, "Arguing will not solve anything!"

"They're not, Mort. Anyway, if we work together to retrieve the Fray, then we'll maybe be able to destroy it." Cadavre idealized.

"And then the memory loss will stop." Wadsworth added before continuing to sip. "But why the crazy me? Why are there two of me in one place?"

"Mon pauvre Wadsworth," Cadavre sighed, "The 'you' who is crazy is the REAL you, non? You were absorbed with so much fear that you turned into a madman."

"Hold on." Wadsworth shook his head, "If that fellow is the real me, then... what am I?"

"You're just the part of yourself who manages to not be crazy by coping with your fears." Virgil revealed and then points to Cadavre, "They brought you here to help you wake yourself up from your breaking point."

At all of a sudden, Wadsworth felt the guilt inside for what he had done to himself so badly. At first he was right that he doesn't have to be afraid to remember.

"Maybe I can help myself first." He immediately leaves the apartment to the elevator, but the trio follows him.

"Wadsworth! Stop! You can't go by yourself!" Mort barked.

Wadsworth didn't listen as he shuts the gate and presses button 1. They continue to warn him as the elevator starts descending. And it got stuck. He jams his hand at the panel to get it going again, but the elevator drops. It's like a wild ride but without seats. This is great. He's never going to make it. The carriage continues plunging down to the bottom. Then a crash.