"I came from Before; I'll never go back there again."
– the Traveler in the Meadow
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The wide concrete highway leading on up into the City by the Sea, lay barren of any vehicular transports, on this particular morning. I climbed up over the dusty barriers, making my way across to the other side of the road. From this vantage point, I could look down onto the rail-yards that ran off towards the smoky horizon. An abandoned engine rested underneath the maintenance causeway upon which I stood.
On this day, I was accompanied by Glendale. She seemed twice as old today, as she had been yesterday. Martin Fish seemed to be a dancing clown of some sorts, this morning. Redingorok the Wolf also traveled with us, on this unusual day. I expected no riddles that early in the morning.
Glendale climbed down into the cargo hold of the abandoned rail car. We followed, after she gave the all-clear sign. The train must have been a mile long, and Glendale felt the need to explore every car. This took all day. We found the lunch car, and took our naps after eating our fill of steak and fraglegs.
My nap was disturbed by a tremor, which shook all the land. The 12:34 came early that morning. I noticed that the engine number was 1234. I also noticed that Martin Fish had melted like butter, sometime during our nap. Glendale spread Martin Fish onto her bread and digested him. This way we wouldn't lose him.
Then I woke up. Martin Fish had swum away. Glendale snacked on jelly cakes. Redingorok wasn't any longer amongst us. We had been joined by a blind woman, who sang songs out of tune and hideously off key. Other than this, it was an ordinary day in the valley.
Somewhere music played. A deep slow song, like the vision of trees dancing in ancient winds came to mind. Then a fog of confusion lifted Martin Fish out of the water from whence he had returned. Shortly thereafter, Redingorok the Wolf exploded. It seems his innards consisted of jelly beans, so we had a siesta party. Then a lethargic haze fell upon the crew.
I dreamed of cream pies, dusted with glittering sprinkles made of radioactive Spurgumphremactictates. I ate them, while they screamed. When I woke up, Glendale had died by her own hand. Now her ghost haunted me, relentlessly.
But this was only another fever dream. It seems we never left the Meadow. Here we gathered, at home, by the hearth. Glendale was there, wearing her favorite yellow sundress. Martin Fish swam in his bowl, oblivious to our dream-adventures. The wood-carved statue of Redingorok the Wolf stood next to the mantle, in front of the cold fireplace. What a strange dream it was, this adventure in lands beyond the Meadow.
As expected, the hands of the grandfather clock my mother had given to me for my twelfth birthday, still held fast at 12:34. The clock hadn't worked in ages, and the key had been lost in the days following the earthquake.
"How are you feeling today?" asked Glendale.
"A bit tired," I replied, "and thirsty."
"I'll bring you fresh water."
"Thanks, Glendale."
"Who is Glendale?" said the monstrosity, who no longer appeared to be my friend. I tried to resist looking into the eyes of the 12:34 that had supplanted the soul of my best friend. But it was hopeless. The Horde occupied my frame, and my soul ran away into a dark cold place. All hope was gone. The terror consumed me.
Then I woke up, to find myself at the front gates of the City by the Sea, with Glendale by my side, and Martin Fish swimming in a glimmering pond nearby. Redingorok the Wolf cowered in the corner of the room into which we were ushered by what seemed to be a dozen purple weasel fish.
Then I woke up again, back at camp. "Don't eat any more of those mushrooms, dear," said Glendale, who was back to her usual human-ish self.
Naptime came upon us, in the shade of the Silver Gloaming Heather.
Then I dreamed of my wonderful City by the Sea.
On this day, I rode the rails from the outskirts of the city, all the way to the downtown subway terminal. Out in the Wildlands the train ran very fast. It was a dusty old train, with not much to eat on board. We flew by shimmering grasslands, occupied by ladybugs in all kinds of different colors. The dandelions sang songs, as the engine chugged on up its course.
Eventually we came to a split in the tracks. To the left, the railroad followed a river bank, towards very dark and uninviting forest. I asked the conductor if we could follow to the right, over the bridge on into the city. To my surprise, the conductor was none other than my famous aquatic friend, See-Q, of the Puerto Avatar Marine Wildlife Research Facility. She greeted me and I tossed her a clam. We then made our way into the city.
