Chapter 3
Thaddeus came up on tall grass that took the place of the trees. The dry ground turned to mud. He walked slowly, trying not to get stuck. After a minute of this he came to a large meadow, very similar to the one he went to with his parents. There were little turtles on logs and ducks swimming around. The only difference was that there was no wooden walkway here and also no observation tower. He walked along the edge of the meadow, trying to find the part where he walked with his parents the day before. It had to be around there somewhere.
No walkway ever appeared and there was no sign of human life at all. He walked on the edge of the water for a long time, eventually coming to a clearing with dead grass and mud patches. There should have been houses and roads. The park wasn’t this big. He should have been back in the neighborhoods by now.
Something poked above the dead grass and mud up ahead. He couldn’t tell what it was from so far away. When he got closer he saw that it was a little hut. There was a sign on the door. The words were old and faded.
Cart rides to town
Thaddeus knocked on the door. It opened and an old man looked out at him. He looked like he had just gotten up. He wore a long heavy cloth nightgown. His face had the same slight difference that made it somewhat off from faces Thaddeus was used to.
“Yes.” He said, surprised to see someone at his door.
“I saw that you have cart rides to town.” Thaddeus reached into his pocket and pulled out a few dollar bills. “I only have a little money.”
The man looked down at the bills curiously. “You really want a cart ride? Nobody’s wanted a cart ride in years, except for that crazy old woman who lives in the woods. I only keep the sign up so I still feel like I have something to do in life. Say, what’s a kid like you doing way out here?”
“I lost my parents.” Thaddeus said quietly.
“What’d they run away?”
“I ran away.”
“Why would you go and do a thing like that?”
“I just wanted to see where the path went.” Thaddeus said defensively.
“Don’t get all out of whack. What do I know; I like being alone. Now how about that cart ride?” The man went around to the back of his hut and came back with a little cart. It was one of those with just the one wheel, the kind that has to be pulled by a horse or a mule. The man stood where the horse should go and gestured with his head for Thaddeus to get in. “You coming or what?”
“Don’t you have something to pull this for you?” Thaddeus asked.
“Now how am I supposed to get exercise if something else pulls my cart?” The man said as if it were completely normal to see an old man pulling a cart into town.
Thaddeus got in. The cart was old and had several holes in the bottom. Spiders had made webs and a few ants crawled around. He tried not to notice.
The old man took off in a jog and the boy almost fell off the back. There was nothing to hold on to.
The cart rattled and shook the whole way. Thaddeus was afraid it might fall apart. The old man jogged merrily through the mud patches and didn’t slow down for anything. He was a very fit old man.
Buildings came into view before too long. They were all made of the same gray stone that was probably once white. This was definitely not any town Thaddeus had ever seen before.
“What is this place?” Thaddeus asked. “I thought we were going to town.”
“This is town.” The man said, out of breath.
“No, I mean town with the neighborhoods and the streets and the gas stations and everything.”
“We have streets and neighborhoods here.”
“This isn’t the town I was talking about.”
The man stopped jogging at the edge of town and put the cart down. “This is the only town within miles. If you want another one you should find a merchant or someone who can take you.”
Thaddeus got out and looked around. His parents wouldn’t be here. He had never seen this place in his life.
“Are you sure there’s no place else.”
“This is it, kid. Anyway, I better get back. Have fun.” The man picked up his cart and jogged away.
“Wait, what do I do here?”
The man didn’t hear the boy and kept jogging back to his little hut.
Thaddeus stepped into the town.
The ground was entirely covered in the same gray stone as the buildings. Commotion was all around. People pushed and pulled carts just like the one Thaddeus rode in on. Some carried vegetables, some carried slabs of stone, and some even had people. Thaddeus walked around looking at all the people while trying not to get hit by carts that were going way too fast. He found someone who was not running all over the place and went up to him.
“Excuse me, sir, but do you know where I am.”
“What kind of a question is that? You’re right there.” The man said, annoyed.
“No, I mean what town is this?”
“It’s The Town. Yeesh, some kids don’t know nothing.”
“What is it called?” Thaddeus stressed.
The man hunched down and put his face real close to the boy’s. “I just told you. It’s called The Town. Ain’t one for a ways there, why would we call it anythin else?”
“Surely it has a better name then that.”
The man looked taken aback. “Whass yo problem, young? You mean to be snapped, don’t ya?”
Thaddeus took a step back. He didn’t understand the man’s meaning and didn’t think he wanted to. He turned and started down between a row of buildings. There had to be someone around who could tell him where he was and what was going on.
At the end of the row was a building larger than the rest. It had three floors and a lot of windows. People were going in and out every few seconds. Thaddeus noticed that everyone he looked at had that strange difference that he had yet to pinpoint. He tried not to think about it. It only made him more frightened.
Thaddeus went up to a few people talking near the building. One of them was bound to be able to help.
“Excuse me.” He said as politely as he could.
A woman around his mother’s age noticed him first. “Yes, dear.” She said.
“Do you know where a Willow Street is? That’s where I live and I can’t seem to find it.”
“Your street has a name?”
“Yes, it’s Willow. Do you know it?”
“No street in The Town has a name.” She shrugged and went back to talking with the people she was with.
“I need to get back to it.”
A man standing next to the woman noticed Thaddeus next. “Hey, there, little man, what seems to be the problem?”
“I can’t find my way home.”
“Oh, that’s terrible, little man, tell me your name.”
“Thaddeus Minnow.”
“Minnow? Minnow, hmm. No Minnows in this town, unless you count the pond.” He laughed. “But seriously though, go home.”
“I can’t.”
The man went back to talking with the others as well.
“Can you tell me what this building is?”
Another woman in the group noticed him.
“Hello there, little one. What can I do for you?”
“What is this building?” Thaddeus groaned. He was getting tired of these people.
“This is The Building. It runs everything in The Town.”
“Is its name The Building?”
“That’s what I just said.”
Thaddeus got away from those people as fast as he could and went into The Building. The entryway was small and it led to three different rooms. The one on the left had a sign saying Offices. The one on the right said Drinks. And the one directly ahead didn’t have any sign and was blocked by a large scary looking man. Thaddeus decided to try Drinks.
There was a long bar with stools at it and behind the bar several people went around giving out large glasses of what l
ooked like mud. There were a few tables and business types all sat around drinking more mud.
Thaddeus went cautiously up to the bar. He wasn’t allowed in places like that where he was from, but this was looking more and more like someplace else. He took a seat at the bar next to a man that was either sleeping or dead, he hoped sleeping.
One of the people from behind the bar came up to Thaddeus. “What’d you do?” He asked with a sly smile.
“What?” Thaddeus asked.
“You have to be here for some reason. So what did you do, or are you here to support some friend or something?”
“I got lost.” Thaddeus said for what felt like the fiftieth time.
“Got lost, eh?” The man behind the bar said. “They’ll put people away for anything now. Check this fellow out here.” He pointed to the man that was hopefully unconscious. “This is like the tenth time that he’s been here this month alone. Some people never learn, you know?”
Thaddeus was very confused. “I’m trying to find my parents.” He said.
The man behind the bar nodded with understanding. “That’s how it is, eh? That’s a shame. Some of these people have kids, it doesn’t matter. They spend their time doing bad and soon enough the kid ain’t got a parent or two for a while. But don’t you worry. I’m sure they’ll get out in no time. What’d they do?”
“They took me for a walk.”
The man behind the bar’s eyes widened. “Must have been some walk. They kill someone on this walk?”
“No, they’re nice people.” Thaddeus said.
“They’re all nice once in a while. Take this guy,” he pointed once again to the man with his head on the table. “This guy’s nice when he’s in here. You’d be surprised though. I heard he knocked out the mayor’s cousin, and for what? He’s only thirty or something, that’s too young to be throwing life away. Give it another chance, ten more years at least.” He gave a disgusted look to the man. “Hey pal!” He shouted at him. “You didn’t pay yet. What am I giving these away?” He picked up a half finished glass of mud and poured it on his head. The man’s head flew off the table and mud went splattering onto the table behind them.
“What’s all this about?” He yelled angrily.
“Pay up, mud bath.”
The man wiped mud out of his hair with one hand and pulled a little pink coin out of his pocket and put it on the counter. “Is this really how you treat repeat customers?”
“Yes, repeats are the worst. Now what’s with this? You know perfectly well that drink was more than that.”
The man pulled out a few more coins and scattered them on the counter. “Is this better?” He asked, annoyed.
“More like it, yes.” The man behind the bar went over to someone else.
The mud bath man wiped more mud off him and then wiped his hands on his pants. He glanced over at Thaddeus. “What’d you do?”
“Nothing.” Thaddeus said. “I lost my parents somewhere and I need to find them.”
The man looked at Thaddeus for a long time. Thaddeus looked away; he hated feeling eyes looking him over. After a few second he looked back defiantly. That’s when he noticed something odd about the man, or something not odd. This was the first person he saw that did not have the slight difference to him.
“So where’d you leave them? Run away I guess.”
“I didn’t run far.”
“Right, now you’re here, and they’re where?”
“I guess at home worried sick.”
“And where’s home?” The man asked, staring longingly at his empty glass.
“Willow Street.”
“That’s not around here, is it? Streets don’t have names around here.”
“It’s near Buckington Ridge High School. I know we’re getting close when we pass the school.”
The man suddenly looked very serious as he inspected the last remnants of mud in his glass. “What’s that now?”
“It’s near the high school.” Thaddeus repeated.
The man took quick peeks over at Thaddeus, but kept his eyes on his empty glass. “Do you need help finding your parents? I mean I can help you if you’d like.”
“Really?” Thaddeus exclaimed. For the first time since following the unofficial path in the woods he felt a little happiness.
“Sure, I’d love to. When do we start?”
“Right now, let’s go. They’re probably worried sick about me.” Thaddeus jumped down from his chair.
“Hold on a second, quickie lick, I need to take care of something first. But as soon as that’s over I’ll get you back to your parents in no time.”
He led Thaddeus out of Drinks and into the main entryway.
Thaddeus would miss breakfast, but he would be back in time for lunch.