We're From Out of Town

Looking at the town while I tried to find the theater from the man’s directions I realized something. I must have been insane to ever want to live in such a place. Everyone I passed either seemed a little crazed, or had a very suspicious look on their faces. I suppose people were friendly enough, but everyone I talked to obviously had something else on their mind. I certainly seemed like the town wasn’t all 100% present (mentally of course). As I looked up at the apartment building that seemed to be the focal point of the town, for the life of me I could not figure out what dragged me into the town. I started backing away when I turned around and ran right into someone, knocking them onto the pavement.
“I’m so sorry about that! I was so lost in thought,” I said to the woman as I helped her up.
“It’s no problem, really.” She looked a little bedraggled, but I don’t think it was from the fall.
“Hey haven’t I seen you somewhere... which is saying something since I can’t seem to remember a thing.”
“Oh, yeah, I think I saw you running out of the hospital this morning. You almost ran into me then too.”
“Oh.. yeah, sorry. Funny running into you again ...?”
“Spring.”
“Heather.. um.. well, I guess I’ll see you around..” I turned and walked away as quickly as possible. She obviously didn’t want anymore to do with me.
I suppose I was just as lost as everyone else in the town. Could it be that’s the reason for me fitting in and living in the town? Or did the town just do that to people?

After who-knows-how-long, I finally found the theater. The only reason I could tell it was a theater rather than an abandoned sawmill was from the kiosk tacked on the side. I walked up to the door and attempted to open it. Locked tight. There had to be answers in here. From the little I could remember, there just had to be, but I had no idea how to get in. I put my hands in the pockets of my jeans in contemplation of my next steps. There in my right pocket, was a small metal key. “There’s no way...” I put the key into the slot on the door and turned. -click- I pulled open the old rotting doors and walked in.

In the darkness my feet carried me to a huge switch on the wall. I pulled it and the whole theater came to life. The screen blinked on and a voice said, “I think you're all fucked in the head. We're ten hours from the fucking fun park and you want to bail out. Well I'll tell you something. This is no longer a vacation.” I sat down to watch the scene, just as the darkness fell in again.
        ---
His laughter was loud and bouncy. The kind of laughter that could make you laugh in itself.
“Nothing better than a good movie about a vacation, to start off a vacation!” my father said.
The hotel room was small and simple, but it was possible to hear the waves crashing on the beach. I smiled back at him. I couldn’t feel happier. We were at the beach together, and my dad had brought all of his favorite movies for a week long marathon between beach visits. Once the movie ended I asked, “Daddy, why do you like movies so much?”
“Because.. they can offer an escape or just add to the world of imagination. When I was little and whenever I had a bad day, my dad would sit me down and put in a movie I’d never seen before. I haven’t really had the opportunity to show you any movies since I’ve been working so much, that’s why I thought this vacation was a good chance.”
“Oh, that makes sense. I want to watch all the movies in the world!”
That booming laughter came again.
“Perhaps you could, but promise me this, when you’re older and you’ll be living off on your own, you’ll keep watching movies. That way I’ll always be with you.”
“I promise, cross my heart and hope to die! But you’ll always be with me anyway! I won’t have to pretend!”
All that came in response was a smile, but it wasn’t really happy. It was kind of sad...