(Previous episode with brutal lakeside rant is HERE)
EPISODE 5
Mel had never heard such a rant. She had heard people preaching and arguing about life in many various way at the old Bean House cafe, but Arlo's words had some serious reach, and met no resistance as they moved over the waters of Lake Spooner that morning. He had been very thorough in his condemnation of the town of Hill Valley, and he obviously had an acute understanding of the means by which such a society is so hypnotically self-controlling, an understanding that could only be described as 'professional'.
Now, staring up at the hovering traffic-light-fish sculpture in Lakeland's town square, she realized what had triggered Arlo's scalding review of the people of next-door Hill Valley; he had been to Lakeland. He had gotten a glimpse of what a large group of people can do with their imaginations if left alone for just a minute, and what they would do with their time, if only they had any. The floating piece of artwork that towered above her now insisted that such a group of people would in fact do astonishingly creative things.
From top to bottom-- even it's shadow-- the fish sculpture was magnificent, and Mel couldn't stop looking at it. Every facet was intriguing. The sunlight played into the colored lenses of the hundreds of old hinged-open traffic lights which composed this great fish, and finding it's way through, was creating a red and green kaleidoscope of a shadow which spilled over the circular stone below. It's very levitation, though, was the feature that caused the most eerie rush of excitement, as though the big fish really should, by all known logic, come tumbling down from it's invisible airy perch, and yet there it floated, silent and perfectly still in the light mid-day breeze.
"I knew she would like our fish!"
Arlo had easily found Daniel after searching for a few minutes, again at the library, and now they both came into the square and found Mel standing in the same spot that Arlo had left her; caught mesmerized by the sheer potential of the large sculpture hovering before her, surrounded by singing cars and bikes of all sizes.
After their greetings and introductions, it was Daniel's idea (of course) to go and find some food, which they did. In Lakeland, finding food was easy; it was actually spilling over onto the sidewalks from every fertile patch of soil throughout the town, but they found a nearby cafe and went inside. (As far as Mel could tell, the place was called 'Will Play for Food', where the premise was that musicians could get a meal for a song, so that there was always music playing, and the elegant sandwiches that the menu offered were known through Lakeland to be something special.)
On a small stage, a kind-eyed girl was playing a surprisingly sad melody on a guitar, occasionally smiling reassuringly for her audience-- adding a little promise of color to the otherwise somber black-and-white tune. (And possibly thinking about that promise of a sandwich)
Even though they had assured her that nobody charged money for food in Lakeland, and that she didn't actually have to play a song to eat, Mel was relieved to see that there were tip jars set up for both the musicians and for the kitchen, and she decided that she would gladly pay for her meal-- and the music-- in large tips, whether anybody was counting money or not.
Arlo told Daniel all about the Hill Valley cops stealing his car, and after he and Mel had described their escape from Hill Valley on the hover-bike, the conversation led back, as it tended to do, to old Don Felger. Mel had heard the name long ago, and listened as the two Science Board Observers talked about their work.
"What?" Arlo set his glass down abruptly. "Felger actually LIVED in Hill Valley? When was that?"
Daniel laughed at the notion too. "I know! The bastard couldn't keep his grubby fingers out of the petri dish! He didn't trust his Bishops or his Priests to do their jobs, so he showed up there with a damn arsenal I guess, and started screwing it up good in Hell Valley. Man… that was over thirty years ago."
Daniel described how the town of Hill Valley reacted to Don Felger's presence there. Within a year, Felger had used his influence to get himself 'elected' Mayor of Hill Valley, and tried to begin a brutal dictatorship over the little town.
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Daniel glanced at Mel and laughed again. "Mel, I don't know how much Arles here has told you about the workings of a Fictionarium… OUR little Fictionarium, that we so lovingly call home… but it was completely against the rules for a guy like Felger-- a Board executive-- to try to live in the Box… or any Fictionarium duplex, anywhere."
Mel shook her head and smiled, listening to it all. Arlo had said plenty in his lakeside sermon about some of those workings, but these were some of the most interesting stories she'd ever heard about Fictionariums. The official histories were incredibly boring, and nobody really talked about that ancient stuff. It seemed like Daniel and Arlo had nothing else to talk about though, as Daniel continued.
"So Felger, now he's really got some new enemies-- lots of 'em-- right in Hell Valley, and he's trying to set up his gangster thing, and even trying to train some goons from the PD how to Bishop, and he's got bodyguards and…"
Daniel took another drink from his jar, and set it down conclusively.
"Let's just say, that didn't really work. I mean-- people will police themselves and demand leadership as long as there is a perceived need for it-- and hell, Don's own Bishops handled that Perception business like the pros that they were-- it's hard to screw it up! But old Felger… became the damn Mayor? And started showing up on TV with an armed gang of bodyguards, talking about war, just… psycho! Psycho Don!"
Daniel sat back in his chair and looked out the open door of the cafe, remembering the days out loud.
"Don was extremely unpopular, as you might guess… anyway. So he's showing up on TV, and The Valley is wondering what is happening to their little town, and here's the new Mayor on TV holding this GIANT gun, saying 'Lakeland is about to attack', and everybody knows he's full of crap! Within a week of that little TV show, Felger's plans didn't really work at all… somebody tied his ass up in a big duffle bag and robbed him! They found him cussing and crying on the floor of the Mayor's office the next morning. His bodyguards and crew had abandoned him... so he left the Box with his tail between his legs. His final TV show that Hill Valley saw, was his resignation-- his face steaming, saying, "I'll be coming back to Hill Valley to get what was stolen from me. I want my GOLD, and I want my MACHINE GUN!" And damned if he didn't leave, and nobody heard much about him again after that display. Old Psycho Don, he…"
Mel stood up quickly, almost knocking her own chair over into another table. Her usual calm face missing, she looked out the open door, and then back at Arlo. "I have to go back to town… I need to move my car."
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Thanks for reading FICTIONARIUM Chapter 7. Episode 5
LINK to previous episode
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