Play@YSDC

[img]http://images.wikia.com/silent/images/6 ... Toilet.jpg[/img]

It doesn't take long for Katie to finish up in the second stall of the toilets and pull open the door. The stressful events of the past seem to recede further and further into a shady and somewhat dreamy world of what may have been as she reaches for the toilet roll. It's quiet. It's cold. It's nothing like her dreams outside so it's hardly as though her 'dreams' may have been repeating itself. She pulls open the toilet door and steps out only to find herself in the men's toilets. This was more than a little strange. On the way in, there was no sign of any urinals or anything of the sort. Now, she can see them clear as day. The toilets themselves are also dirtier than before, which says a lot, because the last toilet had plenty of graffiti and grimy tiles but this one looked even worse.

Wow!

Katie stops in her tracks, the stall door open behind her. This was just the spookiest thing ever. She was really bursting when she got outa the car, but she was sure she went into the girls toilets. And it's stinky in here too.

Katie is about to shout for mummy, but she decides not to.

Mommy might be mad if she knows I'm in the boys toilet, and grown ups always get mad when they're talking on the phone.

She takes a step towards the sinks, Katie always washed her hands - even after a pee, but these sinks look really icky! She pulls a face and turns to run out of the toilets, "Yuck!"

Maybe mummy will let me have some candy now, we must be nearly there!

The water coming out of the sink is blessedly clean but oh so very cold.

The toilet next to her cubicle flushes and another little girl steps out.



"Oh, hello!" She grins at her and goes rushing up to wash her hands at the sink. "Wait, is this the smelly boy's toilets? How'd that happen! I coulda sworn I went into the girl's."

"Really? Me too!" Katie smiles at the other girl, forgetting about the stinky smell and the inky sink for a moment. And about running back to mummy too.

"My name's Katie. Are you on vacation too?"

"Me? No." She shakes her head. "No, I'm a local girl. Been here since forever. So, uh, you're doing the tourist thing? 'Cause if you are, I know all the places you should go!"

"Oh, and my name's Laura." She looks the other girl up and down. "I think we're about the same age. Are you seven?"

Katie's pride swells, she always knew she acted like a bigger girl, and now an actual seven year old had confirmed it!

"Yes I am!"

Smiling broadly at Laura, Katie asks, "Are there fun things to do in Silent Hill? I didn't want to come, but mummy made me."

She lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Her therapist said it would be nice."

"Are there fun things? Are you kidding me? Haven't you heard? We've got our own Amusement Park!" Laura did a little jump and spin. "Then again, most mommies here on business holidays don't go there so maybe you won't get the chance to see it." She scuffed at the floor with a foot. "I hope you do, though, 'cause it's got soooo many attractions. There's teacup rides and big mascots and ferris wheels and all kinds of things. It's so much fun. Hey, do you wanna go see it? It'd take barely a minute to see it in the distance if you come with me."

Katie really isn't sure, she knows she should ask mummy first.
But mummy's busy on the phone. And I really, really want to see the amusement park.

"Ok! But only if we run!"

I we run, I'll be back in less than a minute, that's hardly any time at all!
And if I wave to mummy, she'll know I'm ok!

OOC,My six year old really does think like this. I'd never let him out of my sight somewhere like this. Shame on you Cecilia! Lol

Laura's eyes light up. "Yes, let's run! That'll be so much cool!" She sneaks over to the door and peeks out.

"Well, we'll have to go halfway down that hiking trail over there but I know a short cut if we go straight down from the toilets. It won't take all that long at all. Ready? Steady? Go!"

Laura darts out of the toilet, scrambles over the fence and starts on down the hill.

Show,the dangers of children who think the world really is safe! Shows you raised him right. :P

Katie runs after her, trying her best to keep up. She can't wait to see the amusement park!

OOC,Is the car park visible as she leaves the toilets?

Katie can see her mother sitting in the parked car, still talking on her mobile phone, and gazing through some paperwork. She'll likely be busy for hours yet without noticing that Katie's missing. Heck, if Katie went and bugged her about seeing the amusement park, she'd probably be told not to and made to sit in the back seat and just wait for those hours until the phone call finally ends.

Laura skids down the leafy slope, swinging off various pine tree trunks, before slipping down onto the path. "Ooh! Can't see it here! Must be a bit further down. Don't worry. Hurry!"

OOC,Sorry 'bout the slower than expected posting. Bad timing with my wife's asthma :( Should be ok to pick up the pace now. I'll post again if you've replied when I get to work (about 6-7 hours) I'll be offline till then) :) BTW: Your writing is amazing, I spend ages writing big posts, but you post loads and it's all good. :D

Katie scrambles over the fence imagining how much easier it'd be if she was seven like Laura. Then she half runs, half strumbles down the steep slope chasing her new friend.

This is going to be amazing! Laura is fun!

"Wait for me!"

Laura just waves at her rather than slowing down and the two thud down the slope until they reach the dirt path that winds between the fog-shrouded trees, zipping this way and that down the slope. "It's so cool! It's really, really cool! There's these Robbie the Rabbits and all kindsa special little stuffed toys we can grab and there's great big rides and this ferris wheel and this roller coaster.... I'm friends with the people that run the park so I get to use all the cool toys when no one's around and I get to use the really cool rides sometimes. This way! C'mon!" She barely seems puffed as she easily keeps just ahead, forcing Katie to hurry after her.

They rush down the path which seems ultra-long but there's no sight of the amusement park through all of the fog. Oh well, it's bound to clear soon. Somewhere, in the distance, there's the sound of someone hacking at a tree, maybe a logger, but not much else. No birdsong, nothing, but the clatter of their feet. It's like they're the only people in the world in this mystical, magical forest. Some of the trees even have broken slivers of mirrors hanging from them on cords, way up high and out of reach, but close enough to reflect the light prettily across the ground.

The path levels out around an old well and Laura tosses Katie a coin. "Go on! Make a wish."

Show,It's all good.

Gripping the coin between her hands like she praying Katie makes her wish: I wish, I wish, I wish Laura was my friend for ever and ever, she is so cool!

Then she drops the coin into the well and waits to hear a splash.

There is a gratifying splash as the coin hits the water and Laura flashes her a big smile. "Awesome! All right, come on, we gotta hurry if we want to see it and get back soon."

She runs along the path and turns to come around the side of a big old church, and unlatches a gate, drawing them into a graveyard. "Check it out. This is Toluca Graveyard. There's a big drop off over there if you want to take a look."

"A gra-ve-yard! Eiw!" Katie pulls a face. "There aren't any ghosts are there?"

She stands on her top-toes, desperate to get a glimpse of the amusement park without setting foot in the spooky graveyard.

OOC,Katie will accept any explanation her new best friend gives about the safety of the graveyard and will then accompany her to the drop off, excited to see the amusement park. Katie will feel at least twice as brave if Laura holds hands! :)

"Exactly, creepy, isn't it?" asked Laura. "But I'm not scared! Come on." She grabs her hand and forcefully leads her across the grassy field until the ground falls away before them, skipping all the way. "We should be able to see the Amusement Park from here if we squint, but I'm not sure. Look at all this fog! It must've rolled in from the lake. How cool is that?" She raises a free hand to shield her eyes from the filtered sunlight, and stares off into the distance. "Wow, it's like standing on a cloud. I can't see anything here. Hmm, maybe we should go further down?"

"Stupid fog!" mutters Katie. "Okay let's go."

She sets off down the slope, still holding onto Laura's hand. If it wasn't for the stupid fog we'd be able to see it by now!

"How much further?" she asks, "If we walk for a little longer, will we be able to go right to it?"

Laura looks at her as though she's just said the cleverest thing ever. "Actually, yes! I'll show you a trick. Hmm..." She pulls a stick of chalk out of her apron pocket and starts drawing an image onto one of the grave markers, humming all the while. It's an image of intersecting wheels upon which she writes, in vertical letters, lakesideamusementpark.

Filled with curiousity Katie watches Laura chalking on the grave stone, this was weird, she wanted to see the real amusement park, not a drawing! But this was already the weirdest day she could ever remember and Laura was so clever, Katie was sure she knew everything!

As Laura finishes writing across her drawing, Katie smiles uncertainly and asks "Laura? Are you magic?"

"Yup," said Laura. She pulled a small, ornate knife, and before Katie can say anything, she nicks her finger and presses it into the dirt. Moments later, the dirt falls away in front of them, revealing a glowing, fog-shrouded hole into somewhere. Tinny music echoes up from the confines of the grave, sounding equally creepy and joyous. "Down there is the Amusement Park. Well, not really. Down there is a portal that'll take us to the Amusement Park. You ready?" Laura grabs for her hand. "We can be back in a flash."

"I knew it!"

Katie lets Laura grab her hand and steps towards the misty hole with the joyously creepy music!

"I'm ready!"

Laura nodded and together they stepped down into the pit and as the world blurred around them, Katie could dimly make out her mother's voice calling to her. Laura giggles as she holds both of Katie's hands, a big, pleased smile on her face, and she shouts out over the rush of the wind. "Don't worry! We'll be there soon. It'll be dark, but that won't matter. Don't get scared. No matter what you see. We can have fun. Nothing can hurt you so long as you're not scared and you're with me. They can smell your fear! But that's all that calls them. Fear. Well, fear and guilt, but don't worry about that. We can go on all the rides we like!"

And then they both drop down into a brick courtyard where a Robbie the Rabbits sits on a nearby wooden bench, the walls are dirty, and the sky is pitch dark. Luckily, there's plenty of lighting about the amusement park and Katie can make out the lights of distant amusement park rides beyond the inner gates. There's a map nearby on a big old mildewy sign.

Katie smiles bravely, she doesn't like the dark at all, but there were lights on and Laura seemed to know all about things, so it must be alright. And besides she always felt much braver in the dark holding mummy or daddy's hand, and Laura was holding her hand now, so everything was just fine. And hadn't Laura just said they could go on any ride they liked?

Katie's smile grows wider and she giggles, mummy only let's me on the baby rides! Even though I'm nearly a big girl Eager to start the adventure she asks, "We can go on all the rides?"

OOC,Do 6 year olds feel guilt? I'm not sure that they do. My experience is that they make a decision and than just go with it (eg leaving mummy in the car park). If they're punished for the decision they tend to have a sense of injustice rather than feelings of guilt! :lol: Having said that, I've been lucky enough not to have experienced divorce in my close family, so I don't know how it feels. I'd imagine that Katie won't fully understand her dad going off with another man, and might feel that she's in some way to blame. Is the rabbit scary? I've found with my children that when they're younger (say 3 or 4) they get

"Yup, all of them," said Laura, grinning. "We can also eat anything we like, though not everything's good to eat, and we can win whatever toys we like, too. It'll be amazing!" She does a little jig of joy on the spot and giggles. "And later, we can go to the hotel and I can show you my old friend. He was always the bestest, always real brave, but then he chickened out when his dad sent him away." Laura looks a little sad and begins to pace back and forth. "I did miss him so very much...." She brightens and whips around to face Katie. "But he's here now! He came back for me! All I need is a little help and all my best friends will be together again..." She clasps her hands together. "Wouldn't you like that, Katie? For a big group of best friends?"

Show,Oh, I think they do feel guilt but not for the sort of things we expect them to feel guilty about and they easily use those nastier defence mechanisms like turning it back on us if they can. Trouble is I think they feel mostly empathic guilt rather than perspective-based guilt. Mummy gets hurt and loses a finger because I scared her while she was chopping carrots ... massive guilt. Mummy gets worried because I was exploring? Well, that's dumb. I was safe! Mummy dies because I was exploring? It's all my fault! So yeah, I think they feel guilt, but generally only for the big stuff involving tears and pain. Also, the rest of your conversation was missing.

"Oh yes! I'd love that!"

Katie is beaming with happiness, she jumps and claps her hands. This is the best vacation ever! I can't wait to tell mummy about Laura!

"Let's go on a ride! And get some candy floss! And ice-cream!"

"Okay, sure," said Laura, heading through the gates to take her to the The Sweet Factory Store which is a souvenir shop in the Souvenir Alley. The Sweet Factory sells Robbie the Rabbit dolls in various colors and sizes, as well as candy, Butter Cakes, Lindsey Street Chocochip Cookies, Health Drinks (yuck) T-shirts, and other souvenirs. Mountain Coaster keychains and a Borley Mansion calendar can be seen over the desk. "You can eat what you want. Tastes good!" Laura pulls open one of the snack bars and bites down into it. "Mmm."

OOC,Sorry I'm the worst player EVER! :oops: There should be nothing stopping me from posting for the next few weeks if your typing hands are feeling better. :)

Katie goes straight for the pink Robbie the Rabbit stuffed dolls, she picks one up and hugs it tightly, "Can I take one of these?"

She spins around staring greedily at the various candy bars and cookies.

OOC,As soon as Laura has answered, Katie will follow her lead and tuck into the nearest chocolate bar.

"Yup, you can have whatever toys you like! There's no adults in the way to stop us."

"Oh wait," said Katie, whipping out a red pen. She hastily scribbles a symbol on the back of a few different candy bars in a crimsoney-brown substance and then nods at her. "Yup. You can eat it now. We gotta draw a symbol on it to keep it from being all bland or spoiled. This symbol adds a touch of paradise to it."

Katie bites into the chocolate bar.

Assuming that it tastes of paradise she asks, "Laura?"

"Can you teach me to do that?"

Laura nods cheerfully. "Absolutely. I can teach you all kinds of tricks and magic spells but first let me show you around." She shows her to a few of the rides, and lets her ride on them, then gathers up some armloads of candy and popcorn (after making the popcorn machine work with another chalk drawing). It's dark and there's figures always in the background, in the darkness, moving with loping strides or twisted gaits, their motion sending Katie's guts roiling, but Laura always distracts her at key moments, laughing them off as 'stupid evil fairies'. After awhile, even Katie realises that she's left it for too long and her mom will be worried and angry.

"It's okay," said Laura. "Your mom will look for you at the hotel. I know where she's staying. She's staying where all adults stay when they vacation here. Lakeview Hotel. Let's go there and meet up with her and you can blame me."

"Hmm, well, she's prob'ly at the hotel right now so let's just go there. It's not far." Laura takes Katie's hand and leads her back through the Amusement Park and out through the entrance onto a dark and cracked asphalt road. Laura hums and swings their hands back and forth as she walks, then breaks into a skip, and starts recounting all the fantastic rides they should go on later on if Cecilia lets her. It's pretty dark out here but there seems to be some ambient light in a bubble around them and whatever dark figures are out in the shadows seem to slink away as they walk. It seems pretty safe, if more than a little creepy, like they'd stepped into Halloween town!

Soon they're jumping a short fence and hurrying across a carpark to the front porch of a rather big and pretty hotel. Laura pulls open the door, releasing some ash motes from the door handle, and leads her inside. Everything is covered is ash and all of the wooden counters are covered in charr -- which kinda looks like a black, flaky alligator-skin patterning. "Don't worry, it's safe," said Laura. "I'll let you back through once we reach the room where you're staying." She heads over to the counter and peeks around through the various letter boxes, finally pulling out an envelope that's been torn open, and she pulls out the letter, reads it in the gloom, then puts it in her pocket. "This way!"

She leads Katie up the stairs to the 2nd floor and takes her up to one of the rooms. She draws on the charred black door in white chalk, a rather complicated scribble, and then pulls open the door with a "Tada!"



The room is gloomy with a thin light pouring in through the fog-shrouded windows but Katie recognises the baggage sitting on the bedspread and over on the couch. It's all of her mummy's things. There's even some of her colouring books and pencils lying on the floor near the television, just as she would've liked to put them. Her mommy normally didn't bother with things like that so obviously she wasn't mad. There was even a bowl full of cookies on the coffee table. The weird thing were all the used tissues beside the bed. The last person to rent this room must've had a cold.

"Well, your mommy will be here soon so I'd better leave you to it," said Laura. "I promise I'll come by to see you later."

"Oh yes!" Katie gives Laura a big hug, "Can we play hide and seek in the hotel?"

She frowns suspiciously at her friend, "but remember magic is cheating, unless I can do it too!"

Releasing Laura from her hug Katie skips happily over to her colouring books. If I finish colouring the page I was doing in the car, then mummy will KNOW I'm a good girl!

Before sitting by the books, she grabs two cookies and turns to wave bye-bye to Laura.

Laura waves back as she skips on out the door, shutting it behind her. It closes with an eerie finality and Katie can hear a key turning in a lock and then something scrabbling against the wood on the other side. Time passes. She eats the cookies, colours in, and waits but her mommy doesn't come. Every so often she hears something loud and noisy pass by the hotel door but if she tries to open it, she finds it locked. The DVD player contains the Care Bears movie but there's nothing else to watch because there's no signal to the television. Hours pass. Long, boring hours.

Katie tries the door three different times before starting to cry; by then she is becoming desperate, Laura said mummy would be here! Where is she I don't want too be on my own!

Once the tears start, they just won't stop, Katie shakes the door handle as hard as she can and then hammers on the door with both hands while she sobs.

"Mummy! Mummy! Help me MUMMY!!!"

Katie's tears go unanswered and no one answers her wails. Finally, the exhaustion gets too much for her and she barely manages to stumble, whimpering over to the bed, before falling asleep on the comfy quilt, desperately hoping her mummy will be there when she awakens.

She's startled awake by a sudden thunk - crack sound. The light outside is rapidly fading, dwindling away to darkness. There's a crack opening up in the door. Another thunk - crack, this with the crash of tearing wood, and she sees the glint of an axe's edge appear between the edges of the wood. The light is rapidly fading but there's a creepy fiery glow coming from the cracks in the wooden door. A final crashing sound as the axe bites deeply into the wood and yanks back, tearing loose whole planks of wood.

Katie squeals and looks for a 'good' place to hide. If she can't spot anywhere better she crawls under the bed!

She tries to be quiet, but she's so scared that she's not sure if she can be.

Why did Laura leave me here? Where's mummy?

The wardrobe looms large nearby and it doesn't take long for her to quickly squirm inside with some of her mother's baggage.

"Maybe nothing..." A man's voice mutters, muffled by the wood. "But I have to try... I had to try..."

"Is... Anyone here?"

"It's just a room, Walter," says a soft woman's voice. "It doesn't look like anything special. I don't think this is where she'd be." She pauses. "I think we should leave. We don't want to be here when the family... or that thing... comes back."

"No, I heard somebody inside. I'm sure that she's here," the man, possibly Walter, muttered. "She has to be... Everywhere looks burnt except this one... There has to be some meaning... I..." Something heavy hits the ground. "Just... Just indulge me for a second. I... Just want to take a look around..."

Katie bursts out of the wardrobe, tears streaming down her face, "Help me! I've lost mummy!"

Enter Walter & Emily's Journey: Entrapment.