If your partial to quiet little town's, then their ain't a town quieter and more peaceful than 'ED'. A town so small it was just barely bigger than a village.
Hidden in the state of *bleep* and nestled in a ring of mountains and surrounded by a thick forest. Only one road goes into town and leaving means going back the way you came since the road stop's dead centre of town in a cul de sac.
Named after it's founder Edmund Alphonse Harrington the town was built in the early thirties and boasts a wide variety of things normally left out of such a qient community. A cinema as big as a multiplex, a zoo filled with exotic animal's, a massive school building as well as a five star restaurant, town hall, TV studio and a heck of a lot more.
The housing was their of course, like a tiny version of the new York suburbia with only a handful of houses all of which were of the right side of town while the stores, the zoo and other buildings were on the left.
Edmund had this vision that his tiny town of only a handful of people was just the foundation of a massive city easily rivalling the main metropolis of the country. He spared no expense in the town's construction, nor did he spare any on publicity.
After 5 years of constant construction, of hiring countless builder's, clerks and a wide variety of people to work and live in his town on march 19 1937 the town was officially complete. He then contacted every news station in the state, TV, paper's, radio. He had them all there at the town's ribbon cutting signifying it was now open to be shown in all it's glory.
It was a grand celebration, people celebrated from dusk til dawn that day, dancing, drinking and just about everything else you could think of that people considered 'partying' in 1937.
Harrington was ecstatic, the reporter's loved what they were seeing and guaranteed that they'd make this the tourist hotspot he desired. Soon his dream would be realised.
When the sun rose on March 20's......the town was deserted.
It was as if everyone had just stopped what they had been doing and just got up and left in the middle of the night. Food lay half eaten on the table's that had lined the town's street's for this day, cigarette's barely a quarter smoked still smouldered on the ground, radio's still playing static as someone tried to change the station but stopped.
Every one was just....gone.
=====71 years later=======
A SUV sat beside the pump of a fill up station, the owner of the car grumbling as the number's continued to climb and climb.
"Why did I agree to this?" The tall and reasonably muscled young man said grimly, he had blonde hair done in gelled spikes, wearing a giant's' jersey and black slacks.
"Cause *munch* you promised Lindsay, Allen." Smirked the passenger in the back seat watching him while flinging popcorn down her throat. She wore a lose black t-shirt with 'Jack Skellington' on it stretched over her substantial chest, she also had blonde hair but done in a bob cut and held in place with a pink hair band. She wore several small necklace's of varying neon and an arm warmer on her right wrist, she finished of her look with a pair of black cut off's.
"Shut up Su." Allen grumbled.
"Hey she's got a point..." Exclaimed the one in the front passenger seat, he was wearing a green and blue Hawaiian shirt over his slight frame, he had black done in a loose ponytail down to mid back, sickly green knee length shorts and badly beaten old sneaker's. He had one arm leaning out of the car and addressed his friend via the right mirror. "....Your driving from one end of the country to the other cause the girl your drooling for wanted to 'see America' on the way to Miami." He laughed a little.
"yeah yeah." He sighed as the number's 'still' continued to rise, 'freaking gas'.
"Well..." He said.
"Well what?" Susan said perkily.
"I know there's one more of you in there with a snide comment. Just say it and get it over with Barry."
The one he was addressing looked over his magazine for a moment before pulling it back up. "Nah I'm good.". Barry wore a button up shirt and jean's. He had his hair done in a short cut that was only a few inch's shy of being a crew cut.
Allen grunted at the comment while still watching the number's go up. Relief flooding him when they stopped.
$150.
"Why did I take dad's gas guzzler?" He moaned.
"Cause it was the only on that'd fit all of us." Barry said curtly while he still read.
Allen ignored him, he walked over to the attendant to pay the bill. He reached into his wallet to get the money.........if he had a wallet.
He gulped as he saw the expectant look on the attendant's face, his oil stained hand held out in a 'gimme' gesture.
"I uh...well you see." He stuttered.
"It's okay Allen I've got the money." His face lit up at the sound of his saviour's voice.
Walking towards them from the store across the street was Lindsay. She had long flowing fiery red hair that reached her well rounded behind which was clad in a white material skirt, wearing a dark pink blouse that his her reasonable 'asset's'. In both arm's she had a plastic shopping bag that looked fit to burst.
With considerable skill she pulled a wallet out of her skirt pocket and produced a hundred bill, two twenties and a ten. Handing them to the attendant who snatched them greedily.
“Sorry about taking your wallet. I didn't have much left after I bought those t-shirt at the world biggest rubber band ball.” Lindsay said perkily.
“No problem.” Allen said without hesitation.
“*Cou-whipped-gh*” Coughed Kenny, his front passenger.
Needless to say Allen was far more interested in the girl in front of him than his friends comment.
“Okay then I guess that means we can take off.” Said Allen as he turned to the car.
“Yeah.” Lindsay hummed. “I just wish there was a little more time to see any sight's.”
“Don't get your hope's up.” Said Barry, putting away his magazine. “Not much to see in *bleep*.”
“You folks lookin' for a sight.” Came an elderly voice. They all turned there head's to see an elderly man in a mechanic's uniform.
“Granpa not now.” Said the attendant next to them. “This is my granpa, he used to run the station a for he got to old. Still likes to dress up and play mechanic though.”
“Hush up boy!” He growled at the young man before turning back to the other's. “If you want sight's, there's a town bout 2 miles long the road, just turn right when you get to the sign that says 'ED'.
“Not that story again.” The grandson sighs.
“Ed.” Susan said with interest.
“Yup. 'ED' a genuine ghost town.” The old man said smugly.
Barry looked out with sceptic written all over his face. “Ghost town. Yeah right.”
“It's true. The ghost's of a thousand restless souls inhabit that town. Unchanged for over 70 years by the ravages of time.” He exclaims.
Allen turns back to the younger man for a better explanation.
“'ED' was supposed to be a town that'd put this area on the map. Had everything a big city normally has even with a town of only a few hundred.”
“Sounds nice.” Barry commented.
“Yeah. When it was done the builder, ya know the guy the town was named after. Invited all these media people to the town, there was a big party all day an' night. But when the sun came up the next day.....everyone was gone.”
“Gone?”
“Yup. Like they'd vanished into thin air. Now the entire town's supposed to be haunted. If you believe that sort of thing.” The attendant said casually.
Allen dared a look at Lindsey's face.
Her look said it all.
“What direction is it?”
======20 minutes later=======
Allen was hunched over the wheel as he drove down a barren and cracked backwoods road.
“Town coming up.” Said Kenny, his arm still out the window.
The group looked up to see the tiny town over the hill.
“Wow it really is tiny.” Said Susan.
Within a few minutes they past a large iron archway welcoming them to 'ED'. What the found strange was a large party banner under it displaying the towns grand opening. The banner still as sight and bright as the day it had been hung.
The drove to the centre of town and parked in the cul-de-sac. Other cars in various positions scattered the street, from parked to an old ford with the door's open and playing country western.
“This is....weird.” Said Barry, looking down over the table that was still brimming with partially eaten food. “You think their was a party here a while ago?”
“Well that guy did say that the town was 'frozen in time'. Maybe this stuffs been lying here for 70 YEAR'S.” Susan joked while she looked at the town with side way glances.
“Very funny. It's probably all just for show” Allen said. “Okay here's the plan. Wee only here for an hour then we leave kay. Now then we stick together and....”
“I'm going to the theatre.” Said Kenny. Taking off towards the move house.
“I saw a sign saying 'zoo' on the way in. I think I'll see what they kept here.” Exclaimed Barry going in the opposite direction.
“That restaurant has my name written all over it.” Said Susan before skipping off to the resterant with the 5 stars above it.
Allen looked at were his friends and sister had been a moment ago.
“I'll go with you.” Said Lindsay with a smile.
Allen smiled. “Anywhere in particular?” He said while offering an arm which she happily accepted.
“No not yet. I wanna have a look around first.” She said before the two walked off in a random direction.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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