Fallarbor Town

Years ago, my father and mother moved to Fallarbor, choosing it mainly for the abundance of fossils they so loved. They built a modest wooden home and raised two children and a farm on the mineral rich soil. The town rests on an outcrop in the sea of soft maroon rock that gently curves southward to Route 116. Just to the east, falling volcanic ash lays a white sheet over the landscape and dims the sun, providing a cool haven from the midday heat. To the southwest, dusk's amber rays filter down from the crevices of creamy rock and glitter off the cyan water of Meteor Falls. The northern sea mirrors the stars that my family and I go out to watch many a night. These sights create an attractive incentive to visit for those who hear about them, unfortunately making its serene attributes its ruin. A few years ago, two houses were constructed. We treated our neighbors well, greeting them with freshly baked pies made with berries from our garden. Masked behind my actions was fear. I felt our way of life was going to be disrupted, and recent events have only reinforced this belief.

I opened the door of my bedroom and golden sunlight stung my groggy eyes. As I walked to the bathroom I caught the smell of breakfast wafting from the kitchen.

“They’re building more. Take a look outside” my brother, Elliot, announced as soon as he saw me. He was sitting at the table with waffles and coffee in front of him.

“Good morning to you” I replied jokingly. I peered through the window. As my pupils adjusted, the blinding white light turned into heavy machinery and materials.

“Sorry man, good morning. The sound of the damn things woke me up and I couldn't go back to sleep” he groaned.

“What are they going to build?”

“Haven’t asked” he replied, taking a sip from a mug of coffee.

“You’d think they would have notified us about it first. Let’s ask them after breakfast”. After I’d taken a shower and we had eaten, we walked about a block to the construction site.

“Hello?” Elliot called to a construction worker.

“’Morning. What can I do for you?”

“Well, we've been wondering what’s going to be built here. No one told us about it” my brother said, swatting a masquerain.

“Ah, that’s terrible. I’ll notify my boss about that, we must have slipped up”, He gestured to the right of our neighbors’ house. “The Battle Tent and Pokémon Center will be there”, he moved his hand a bit lower. “The mart’ll be there”, he pointed to the left of our house. “And there will be a few lakes there, good for cooling off in. The construction should be finished in just a few weeks. Devon wants it done fast”.

“Why does Devon want this? There are only three houses here”.

“Well, Devon’s started advertising it as a resort location. This little town’ll have a decent population in a few years or so”.

“Alright, thanks” Elliot said with false enthusiasm. He was silent on the way back home. I knew this day would inevitably come since the day our neighbors had moved here, but sadness still hit me.

“Good morning, where've you two been?” my dad asked when we had arrived at home. He was tall and well-built from years of mining, his figure seemed too large for our small home.

“We found out Devon is turning Fallarbor into a resort town with pools, a mart, and the likes” I said.

“Ah, maybe you two can catch a Pokémon of your own now if they’re selling pokéballs at the mart. If you need me I’ll be at Meteor Falls”. My father always mined for fossils in Meteor Falls. He rarely encountered one, but when he did, it made his month. His optimism picked me up and we carried on with our day.

Three weeks had passed. The lakes had been finished for a while, the job made easy thanks to diglett and the water supply from Meteor Falls. It was a nice alternative to route 113’s volcanic ash, however, I had been anticipating the day the shop would open. We had never left Fallarbor. Everything we needed was here, but as a result we didn't have any luxuries such as pokéballs. I sat at the table with my brother.

“I’m going to get some pokéballs at the mart and catch a Lunatone in Meteor Cave. Would you like to come with me? ” I asked.

"Sure, I’ll just watch. I've already got fossils as a hobby” he replied. He still seemed down from yesterday. Our father entered the kitchen from my parent’s bedroom.

“Good morning”, my father said, “Your mother has fallen ill, why don’t you two make some breakfast for her?”

“What? What does she have?” Elliot demanded.

“I don’t know. It’s best not to worry about it, her immune system is great” he replied with his usual confidence, although he must have been far more concerned than he let on. We entered mom’s room and set the tray on the bed. The air in the room felt hot and damp.

“Oh, thank you” she smiled. She seemed older, it was probably just the dim light.

“Good morning mom, what’s wrong?” my brother asked worriedly.

“It’s just a little fever”

“What was the last time you were sick, I can’t even remember”

“No matter, you should leave lest you catch what I have”.

“Alright, we know you’ll get better” I said, leaving the room. We took our coats before exiting the house. I could see that the foundation of the Battle tent had been completed, and far up the path on Route 113 a new house was taking shape. We walked up to the shop and the doors slid open. My father didn't make much money from selling fossils. Our old stove, refrigerator, and lights powered by our solar panels were the only specimens of modern technology we had seen. Thoroughly impressed, I walked to the counter.

“Welcome, how may I serve you?” the clerk said.

“Hello, I’ll take ten pokéballs”.

“Sorry, sir. We only sell great balls here, they have a higher catch rate. Ten will be P6000”

“Interesting. 5 great balls then”.

“Here you go. Thank you very much, please come again”.

“Thank you” I replied. We exited the mart and walked to our neighbor, Mr. Wilton’s house before going to Meteor Falls.

“Hello Mr. Wilton” I said

“Well hello boys. What brings you here this fine day?” he inquired.

“I was wondering if you’d lend me a Pokémon so I could catch my own.”

“Well, certainly. Anything you need. It’s great that you want to embark on such a quest” he said, handing me a poké ball.

“Thank you very much, I’ll be back soon”

“Of course. Be sure to show me what you caught”. We exited the house and walked southwest along the light maroon path, past the still blue lakes, and towards Meteor Falls. We put on our coats before entering an opening in the creamy rock. The cold, damp air was a refreshing contrast. Copper in the stone had oxidized due to the waterfalls, turning parts of the stone a minty green hue. We walked deeper into the cave and went down a floor. Almost no light filtered through. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I made out a lunatone floating towards me. The red eyes encased in its luminescent rocky body shone like rubies.

“Skarmory, Steel Wing!” I commanded. One hit and the lunatone was dazed. I threw a great ball at it and after a few wobbles it clicked shut.

“Nice. Didn't think it’d be so easy” my brother said.

“Thanks, are you sure you don’t want to try?”

“I’m good. Let’s get out of here”. We exited the cave, returned the Pokémon to an impressed Mr. Wilton, and returned home.

“Welcome back” my father said.

“Hello, how’s mom doing?” I asked.

“She’s been in bed all day. She didn't eat the breakfast either” he sighed. “Anyways, what did you catch? I overheard you talking about catching a Pokémon”.

“Lunatone, Mr. Wilton lent me his Skarmory”

“Great job, that’s a good matchup. I can teach you a bit about Lunatone.” He replied enthusiastically.

“I’ll take you up on that” I said, happy for the first time in a while.

I trained with my lunatone on Route 114 for three days. It was hard for both of us as the dry heat was exhausting. On the third day, my mother had gotten much better to our great relief. Today my lunatone and I were strong enough to beat any skarmory in the cool, grey shade of Route 113. Spinda, slugma, and sandshrew posed no threat. Lunatone and I returned home happy with our achievement. I opened the door to find that no one was in the main room. While on my way to check the garden, I heard a splatter from my parents’ room. Inside I found my father and Elliot. A pale, bony figure was leaning over, retching into a bowl of dark stringy blood. Mother turned to look at me with sad, yellow tinted eyes and sickly yellow skin. My brother was completely still, and my father was crying for the first time I’d seen. His tears merged with the splattered dark vomit.

“What happened” I asked shakily

“We found her like this…just a few minutes ago. She seemed so well last night and this morning…It came back hard…somehow” my father replied, grasping for words.

“Please. Leave. I don’t want you all to get this…I love you” my mother rasped. I brought her a cleaned bowl and water. Elliot wouldn’t leave her room for a while, however he ended up giving in to her pleading. We called a doctor, he said we couldn't do anything but keep her hydrated and offer food. Even so, the doctor stayed in the now completed glass workshop on Route 113. I had been training lunatone most of the day to keep my mind off of the matter until I took care of her in the evening. The things we can’t control are the most painful. A week passed this way. When I returned home this evening, I heard the horrible splattering noise and rushed to my mother’s room. The stringy, black vomit in the bowls and on the sheets seemed to be greater than her body mass.

“Go...leave” she rasped between her convulsions.

“We love you” I said weakly.

“GET OUT” she cried. We left the room, unable to do anything. After a while the sounds of pain ceased along with her heart; it had no blood left to pump. I kept telling myself death was an inevitable and natural end, but none of us could sleep that night. We buried her in the garden and mourned. As we piled the dirt back on, we felt hot. Our backs and heads ached. It was just our lack of sleep and the hot volcanic winds...right?

The next few days were hell, not just because it felt like I was burning alive, but I could make out the shape of Elliot in the bed next to me. I knew we would both die. My father brought us water and food the first day, but the day after he didn't appear. A few people in bulky outfits helped us from then on. The third day, everything was blurry, and dark. The air was thick with a sickly smell and humidity. My eyes were crusted shut, it felt like I was drowning in the putrid molasses-like air. The next day, the veil of sickness was lifted from me. My muscles has wasted away and I struggled to help Elliot and my father. When I went into my parent’s room, my father wasn't there. Fresh gristly dark blood and waste covered the sheets, the rest of the room appeared to have been cleaned. Too exhausted to search for my father and fearing the disease would return as it did with my mother, I collapsed on the floor of the kitchen. After a few lethargic, blurry days, my strength began to return and Elliot’s illness passed. Today we felt well enough to ask around about our father. We stepped out and walked to Mr. Wilton’s house under the dark blue-grey early morning sky streaked with amber. Our garden was starting to take shape again and the Battle Tent just to the right of Mr. Wilton’s house was finished.

"Hello. Mr. Wilton?” I called

"Oh, thank goodness you kids are alright” he said with relief. “Devon wouldn't let us leave our houses for the past four days, said we would get deathly ill if we went outside. I heard about what happened to you. Thank god you two are alive. My prayers go to your mother”.

“Thank you” I said, suppressing the memories. Where is Devon now?”

“They must have left just last night after telling me they had taken care of the problem. I shouldn't be speaking about it, they kept warning us not to”.

“My father isn't at our house. Do you know where he might be?”

“Oh dear. No, I don’t. I can help you boys look”.

“We’ll do it ourselves” my brother replied.

“Let me know when you find him, would you?”

“Of course. Thank you for your help” I said, exiting the house. Elliot’s face was contorted in an expression of pure rage. We searched Route 113 and found the assistant in the glass workshop had seen Devon exit the town and go past his workshop in a rush. After finding that all the townspeople that would talk knew more or less the same thing as Mr. Wilton, we headed to Meteor Falls and ventured into the dim cave. My lunatone illuminated an obscure stalagmite at the base of a waterfall. It pierced through my father’s frail bony chest with ease. His wide yellow eyes were glazed over and bloodshot. The rapid water had already started eroding the soft yellowish skin on his extremities. Elliot gagged, his face now a mix of rage and depression. We quickly made our way out of the cave.

My brother isolated himself in our house for the next few months. I tried to talk to him every day for a month, but he hardly talked. Three more buildings were constructed to accommodate the population. One was Fallarbor Inn, whose inhabitants were mainly construction workers. During the day, lunatone and I continued training on Route 113, and in the evening I watched the television I’d recently purchased from the mart. I came home to find a tunnel about three twenty feet deep was burrowed straight through the main room’s wall and into the maroon rock behind it. Elliot was inside, a Pokémon next to him was making quick work of the soft rock.

“What the hell is this?” I asked, dumbfounded as to why he would tear down the wall.

“I’m mining for fossils. I’m the Fossil Maniac” he replied, smiling.

“Alright” I said calmly. I figured this his way of dealing with the death was to continue our father’s legacy. At least he was happy now, all I had wanted for the past few months was to see him happy. I stopped myself before asking why he wasn't mining in Meteor Falls. “Where did you get that Pokémon?”

“It’s an anorith. I found its fossil” he gestured to a machine. “A man dressed in red gave me this in return for use of the Dig TM. It can resurrect bones.”

“That’s amazing” I said, awestruck.

“Yes, it is, isn't it” he replied, trailing off. I tacked some boards on the entrance to hide the ripped wall. It didn't do much, possibly making it look worse than before. Later in the day, a white haired boy entered, questioning me about the Dig TM which he retrieved from my brother. Each day the cave that my brother was digging grew deeper. The cabinet that encased the already plentiful rock collection my father had kept was now completely full. Fossils consumed more of his time with each passing day. He became more secluded, not letting anyone into the cave, and not coming out. I began to fear talking to him as he snapped into a rage so easily. A few days later, I started training on Route 115; 113 was no longer a challenge. Deep, sparkling, blue waves crashed onto the crisp white sands. The smooth white walls of Meteor Falls loomed over the lush forest that engulfed the route. The diversity there was amazing, it would keep me busy for some time. It would keep my mind busy. I returned home after another day on 115. As usual Elliot was nowhere to be seen, however the entrance to the chasm was completely boarded off. I shouted to him through a crack in the boards.

“Hey there sonny” a worker replied as he piled rocks into the cave. “The kid that was digging here had to leave. This here is a grade-a safety hazard, we’re fillin’ it in.”

“Ah. Do you know where he went?” I said, suppressing my concern.

“Not a clue”. My brother’s love and joy had been destroyed. I needed to find him so we could talk, as he was probably an emotional wreck. I asked everyone, but no one had seen him. I searched for him until the sky turned a royal purple streaked with amber and emerging pinpoints of white light. Feeling defeated, I lay down in my bed.

I heard more reports of people disappearing in Fallarbor with each passing day. Many new residents started to leave the town, and the steady stream of tourists dried up. Devon furiously scoured every inch of Fallarbor for the missing, but to no avail. The permanent residents began to lock themselves inside, but I had to continue searching for my brother. He was all I had left. I decided to go back into Meteor falls. The police had already searched it twice, but I couldn’t leave the safety of my brother up to them. I got my jacket and stepped inside the cold, dark cave, with my lunatone illuminating the way. Methodically, I checked every crevice of the slippery grey stone. There was no remnants of my father. I thought I smelled the faint stench of decay, but convinced myself it was my imagination. We descended to the second floor. It was pitch dark and the air was thicker. Lunatone was doing all it could, but I could hardly see. I called for my brother, knowing it was hopeless. As I stumbled in the darkness, a stalagmite caught my leg and I plunged into the rapid dark waters running through the cave. I grabbed for land desperately. Going over a waterfall here meant death, as I well knew. I caught hold of rock and pulled myself up onto solid ground. I coughed out the water I had swallowed and took a deep breath of air. I choked again due to the smell of rot, I couldn't be imagining it. The nervous lunatone floated over to where I was, illuminating a tunnel. It was the only way to go, the fierce water of the river surrounded the land I was on. As I made my way through the cramped tunnel, I saw dim artificial light. The stench of filth and decay was enough to make me feel lightheaded. Moans, human and inhuman, reverberated on the tunnel’s damp walls. Silently, I looked around the corner of the tunnel and froze, unable to look away.

A bare light bulb was hanging from the ceiling, illuminating lumps of flesh and bone. Some had mouths, organs, limbs, and faces, but none were whole. Ones that could move were kept in makeshift cages. I looked around and recognized the features of townspeople that had disappeared. My father’s deformed head lay on the ground, caved in as if it had sustained a heavy blow. It had a miniscule body whose skin was stretched to a breaking point by a skeleton too large for it. I heard someone figure adjust a few knobs, press a button, and then a mechanical whirring filled the cave. From the fossil machine my brother pulled out another mess of biomass. It had my mother’s features, he must have taken bones from her grave. The face was of a child’s, the body was fully developed but shriveled. The torso had a chunk missing, its extremities were gone, and the wet skin rippled as If something couldn’t get out. I couldn’t help but throw up. Elliot turned to me.

“I suppose you don’t approve of this” he said sadly.

“Why would you do this?” I stammered.

“They destroyed Fallarbor and our family.” he gestured to the writhing lumps of flesh. “I used them so they could help me bring mommy and daddy back. They wanted to fix what they caused.”

“LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE FUCKING DONE! You think you’re any better than them? You’ve turned our parents into pieces of shit!” I shouted disparagingly. Elliot’s face twisted into an expression of torment and horror. His crazed eyes seemed to realize what he had done. We stared at each other and he began to cry silently. My brother slowly turned around.

“We can try to fix this…” my voice croaked. He wrenched his head down, shattering his skull on a dull stalagmite.

Blinded by tears, I followed my lunatone out through an exit tunnel that was connected to the fossil machine room. I walked back to my home in Fallarbor in a daze of confusion and depression. I stayed in my house for a few days before I had the strength and motivation to come out. People gradually gained enough confidence to return and enjoy Fallarbor’s landscape. Many new houses, stores, and attractions were built. It looks like Devon’s attempts to make it a popular tourist attraction ended up being successful. I was glad we could share the town’s beauty with more people, but I associated too much pain with Fallarbor to stay there myself. Before moving to Fortree, I repaired the broken wall and removed the sign in front of our home that read “Fossil Maniac’s House”, cleaning up any reminders of what had occurred. Although I was witness to the atrocities he committed, I still mourn and love my brother, Elliot.