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" You are here, and it's beautiful, and escaping isn't always bad. "
━ ━ ━
I was watching a playthrough of Firewatch when this quote hit me.
And I realized how cathartic it felt to hear that.
Tanpopo is an abandoned town, a love letter to all the lost villagers trying to find their way.
It is the Japanese for dandelion, a plant that grows even in adversity.
I hope you enjoy the growth of this town and the stories that weave within.
01.20. 11:00 PM.━ Hi. I'm Momo. And I'm kinda feeling... nothing much, right now. Just writing to pass the time. Whatever I'm doing, it's stupid, but it's better than my 8-5 desk job. One of my coworkers told me, "I heard there's a beautiful place north of here where you can take a vacation. But no one really knows how to get there other than the train, and the train staff don't even disclose that kind of stuff." "What?" "All I'm saying is that, if you want to disappear for a while, well... go to the train station near midnight. Maybe something'll happen. Or maybe I'll see you tomorrow at your desk."
So here I am at midnight, waiting for god knows what. But the silence is cathartic in a way; it feels as if time stopped just for me. Ah, there's a train conductor nearby, maybe I can ask him for some directions...
01.20 11:50 PM. ━ Well, I'm here. At wherever the train conductor took me. It wasn't really really much of a conversation between me and him; he just came up to me, candle lamp swinging in his right hand.
"Why are you here? There are no more trains. Go home."
"I want to disappear for a while."
...
He then signaled me quietly to follow him and I rode the train alone. In hindsight, I shouldn't be following strangers, nor should I be riding trains alone, but, well... anywhere is better than my old life.
I'm not sure where I am though (I fell asleep during the train ride), but the worn sign by the entrance barely reads, "Welcome to Tanpopo." It feels like an abandoned town in the middle of absolutely no where, and it's far from beautiful as my co-worker described it. Well, the more people don't know about it... the thought of it relaxes me in a way.
01.21 12:30 AM. ━ New day, new journal entry. Now that everything is sinking in, I realize I'm lost on what to do and where to go. It's still the middle of the night and I'm pretty sure all establishments are closed. Ah, maybe I should have stayed home...
As I walk, a white figure looms on my horizon. I approached them, tossing between thoughts of a ghost or an animal. Thankfully the latter.
"Excuse me, which way do I go?"
She looks at me, quizzical. "Where are you going?"
That was a good question. "I don't know. I just wanted a breather."
She then gives me a soft smile. "Well... you're here, and it's beautiful, and escaping isn't always bad."
Her name was Rhonda.
"Tanpopo used to be a flourishing town that was slowly abandoned because its villagers moved to the cities for better opportunities. Now, it's become a sanctuary for the lost and lonely."
"Hum... why are you here, exactly, Rhonda?"
"Same as you. Couldn't stand my job and my life, and I just felt a little lost. But I'll leave soon, eventually, when I'm ready. We all can't be in our sanctuary forever, no?"
"Yeah... we have to keep swimming, I suppose." We talked about many things in life and of this town.
01.21 7:00 AM. ━ Because the Resident Services wasn't open until morning, I slept the night away on the benches, the sounds of the night with the music from my phone lulling me to sleep. I should have asked Rhonda if I could sleep in her house, but I don't think we were close enough for that level of proximity. It feels weird to be on my own in the middle of nowhere, falling asleep out in the open... but nothing really happened overnight, and Rhonda reassured me that there were only a handful of villagers in town and that everyone knew each other. She said she couldn't wait for me to meet them all. Exciting, I suppose. I hope they're more interesting than my coworkers.
I would talk about what happened in the Resident Services once it opened, but that's for another day. Essentially, I was given keys to a home, the last residence in town, as the previous tenant just moved out a few days ago. For my rent... well, not now. The tanuki is whole other story.
01.21 9:00 AM. ━ As I was strolling along the worn-down street, I saw Rhonda running to me, eyes glistening with excitement. For someone who had been up with me since 3 in the morning, she feels as fresh as the morning dew.
"Oh, Momo!"
"Good morning Rhonda, do you know where━"
"Do you want to come to my house?"
I was taken back by the sudden question. "What?"
"Well... I just cleaned up this morning and I want you to see my place while it's spotless. Sorry for not inviting you last night... I was a little embarrassed about my place. I wanted to make up for it."
And off to Rhonda's house we went. 01.21 9:15 AM. ━ It wasn't what I'd expect at all from Rhonda; for a woman who wore lavish purple clothing, the design of her house felt oddly simple.
"You're house is... quite minimalistic, Rhonda."
"Ah... I was tired of trying too hard, it's all. Simplicity can be quite relaxing too, and I guess I realized that once I stayed here. Oh ━ make yourself at home! I bake us some apple pie, as a housewarming gift. I'm sure you'd love to eat after coming a long way here."
"I've never had apple pie before, thank you... Can you teach me how to bake it? Or... how to bake in general?"
"Of course! It's always fun to try something new. Here, I'll share you my recipe..."
We spent most of the day learning new things while sharing rants about our dumb coworkers.
" It means a lot to meet someone who finally understands me. "
