When all the world is a hopeless jumble (Part 1 of 5)

[a_time_slip]

Crickets are chirpin' the water is high
There's a soft cotton dress on the line hangin' dry
Window wide open, African trees
Bent over backwards from a hurricane breeze
Not a word of goodbye, not even a note
She gone with the man in the long black coat.

-The Man In The Long Black Coat, Bob Dylan

One morning, Janie stepped onto the deck of the boat, and realized they were in an unknown ocean, with crystal blue water and a rainbow sherbert colored sky.

The trip so far had been uneventful.  The treasure hunt almost seemed too easy, and now they were somewhere unexpected.  She wanted to be somewhere- anywhere exciting.  Her life had become a comfortable lull, with nothing exciting happening anywhere.  Everyone seemed happy and somehow that seemed wrong after struggling for so long.

Next stop on the map was a volcanic world filled with smoke monsters.  It had potential.

But so did this place.

In the distance she could see a small house by a lake- something that reminded her of the cabin she grew to love in Florida.  It was built from simple split logs and earth, surrounded by trees.  An old hound dog stayed tied to an older tree most days.  The cabin by the lake seemed to be built the same way, but the trees were different, and she couldn't tell if there was a dog.

The boat got a little closer to shore, and she could see that the trees were very, very familiar.  Trees from home, that country that straddled the great desert.  Bad memories and good memories flooded her mind, but she chose to think about the good.  The smells of coconut and spices, the sense of belonging that she briefly felt...  The clothes line outside with a few of Ella's dresses and rows of jumpsuits.  Trees that had been misshapen by the strong storms from the sea- which didn't fit in with the desert, but reminded her of her Father.  His island which was always so welcoming and peaceful.  They were pieces of a life left behind long ago, and Janie had to stop herself from crying.

They were gone.  Everyone, everywhere seemed to be gone.  What good is living forever when you do it alone?  She'd fallen in love and had her heart broken countless times.  She formed families only to watch them wither and age without her.  She left families behind so they could have a chance at happiness.  Her past life was all closed away in a universe she was no longer a part of.  It was easier without her,because by nature Janie knew she destroyed timelines.

There was a little immortal family but they were busy rebuilding too, or enjoying the peace.  Even her own child enjoyed the peace.  Sure, there were occasionally new feelings but nothing would ever come of those.  Briefly, Janie wondered if-

"Excuse me, Miss?" 

Janie, now ripped from her thoughts, turned her head to the small fishing boat, and the man that called to her from it.  He was tall, and in a wide-brimmed hat and long black coat.  She inwardly swooned at his dimples and his handsome features...  if only she wasn't an alien bad-luck charm.

"Yes?  I'm sorry, we washed up here."

"It's alright, Janie.  You're always welcome here."

"Is this-"

"Yes it is.  You picked a quiet morning to come here.  We're all nervous, waiting for the town meeting."

"Meeting?  Is something wrong?"

"We've got time monsters, and don't know how to stop them."

"I'll help you."

"You're a guest, we couldn't ask that."

"Let me park the boat and wake my friend up-"  Janie trailed off as she noticed that the boat was already parked.  She brushed it off as the time monster.

"Janie, do you want a tour too?"

"Yes, I'd like that.  Thank you...  I like it here even more than I did before."  Janie climbed from the boat, and hurried to walk with the stranger and explore the new place.  Soon, they disappeared in the distance.


(OOC:  The world has whatever it is you're looking for, and I will tag as soon as possible if anyone replies to this.

Janie is already gone, but anything else is wide open. )
 

Comments

[lostinthefog]

Julian woke from the absence of the boat's movement through the waves, feeling a bit disoriented as to where they had stopped. But he remembered Janie's announcement that they would have to stop at some place where she had things to do, and assumed that this was it.

A quick search of the boat made it clear that Janie had already left (and he made an effort not to think about the possibility of getting stuck in one of the boat's many extra rooms). Obviously he wasn't needed for this task, but that didn't mean he couldn't explore the place, right?

So he went outside without thinking - only to find himself standing in broad daylight. He was about to hurry inside when he realized that nothing happened at all, the light was awfully bright, but aside from that it didn't harm him. Perhaps this world's sun gave off different radiation than the one at home? In any case, he was going to enjoy it.

Accompanied by Peavey, he left the boat and had a first look around.

[a_time_slip]

"Hello!" called a friendly voice. A young woman holding a folder sat on the beach with a golden retriever. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it? You must be Janie's friend? My name is Cora."

[lostinthefog]

Julian turned towards the voice and gave the woman a friendly nod, walking closer, while Peavey was already running off to greet the retriever.

"Yes, that's right. I'm Julian ... hello, Cora. You know Janie?"

[a_time_slip]

The retriever seemed to be just as friendly as Peavey, and wanted to make friends with the other dog.

"Hi Julian! Oh I don't know her but I know of her. She's helping our community. Are you her... friend? Assistant? I suppose it doesn't matter. Any friend of hers is a friend of all of us."

[lostinthefog]

Peavey obviously liked meeting such a friendly fellow; he wagged his tail and took on a playful pose.

"I suppose I'm both", he answered. "Though I'm obviously not of much assistance right now. Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I have to admit I don't know exactly where we are. How is this place, or your community, called?"

[a_time_slip]

"Elysium." Cora said, glancing at the dogs. Her pet seemed a little hyper, ready to start digging holes in the sand of the beach.

"I like it here a lot, everyone does."

[lostinthefog]

A digging competition? Peavey was up for that anytime. Who knew which interesting things could be found in this foreign sand.

"It's nice here", Julian confirmed. "Sunny. Uhm ... would you mind showing me around?"

[a_time_slip]

"The sunrises and sunsets here are beautiful." smiled Cora "Just let me call my dog over and I'll show you the small town. It isn't much, but everyone is happy here."

She whistled, and her dog ran over to her.

[lostinthefog]

Julian smiled as well when he heard about the sunsets, he hadn't seen one out in the open for a long time. "I bet they are great. Maybe we'll stay long enough so I can see one."

He didn't even have to call for Peavey, as his dog raced after the retriever, jumping around him playfully.

[a_time_slip]

"I think her work will run until right before sunset." Cora revealed "You all would just have to stay a little longer."

[lostinthefog]

His smile widened even more, thinking about this possibility.

"Oh, I'd love to! And I'm sure Janie wouldn't mind either. What's a day or two more in such a lovely place? Maybe we can watch together."

[a_time_slip]

"We'll set you up nice." smiled Cora "We've got plenty of room and all of us here love visitors."

[lostinthefog]

"That's very kind of you. Do many people come here?"

[a_time_slip]

"No, not often, but we love visitors. What's it like where you're from?"

[lostinthefog]

"It's very different. A huge city with tall buildings. There's noise and lights everywhere, day and night. Not as peaceful as this place seems to be."

[a_time_slip]

"That doesn't sound too pleasant... Why do you live there? I've been here my whole life and would never ever leave."

[lostinthefog]

"You get used to it. It's not that bad, because you also get to see and experience a lot of things. But mostly I live there because my friends do."

He grinned a little. "Also, I didn't know this lovely place when I moved there."