Welcome back to Lost in Tumultuous Despair! Now that I’ve covered Buck’s experiences in part two, let’s move on to part three, which is told through Hal Capp’s point of view.

Enjoy for your pleasure!

“I bet my dad and sister won’t believe their eyes if they ever see us talking to each other in a non-aggressive manner,” chuckled Benedick. Turns out Dicky here’s not a bad guy after all despite my initial suspicions. I mean, as a Capp, I should be enemies with Benedick simply because he’s a Monty. Glad the good side of this messed up road trip means an end to all that idiotic brawl as we finally garnered a neutrality.

“Heh, yeah,” I replied in a humorous tone.

The conversation with Dicky was quite exciting, but as soon as we were done, we looked to our side to see two guys having a not-so-lively conversation. Their loss, though. I didn’t see the point on continuing a lost cause.

And then, I approached the blonde guy in professional clothes and asked him in order to get to know him. “Sir,” I said, “We didn’t talk much at the bus, but I just wanna ask your name.”

“My name is Buck Grunt,” he replied. “and I’m from Strangetown.”

“Ah, that desert town unlike any other. I’ve always thought that desert towns have arabesque buildings, but Strangetown has convinced me otherwise.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Actually, it isn’t. I’m actually glad to see that not everything of the same type follows the perceptions of the norm, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I see what you mean. It’s nice to see that stereotypes are being disproven these days. Anyway, I’ll just hang around this place for a while.”

That Buck fellow sure was easygoing despite his business suit and all. I should just go inside this house next to me. On my way, I spotted two chicks talking to each other like old friends. How strange. I never saw anyone else in the bus other than me and Dicky who talked that enthusiastically. I guess this means that they were bonding together quickly.

Once I went inside the house, I found Dicky playing with the dance sphere. Wow! I didn’t expect a fancy, sophisticated house like this to have a dance sphere! Did the original owners ever thought that such a thing looks out of place in here, considering the décor and all?

“Dicky?” I shouted. “Why would there be a dance sphere in an elegant house like this?”

Unfortunately, Dicky didn’t reply, mostly because of the noise that thing generates.

Afterwards, I found myself at the mercy of the dreadful sound of the piano, so I covered my ears in an attempt to not hear them.

“Aargh!” I shouted. “Why can’t that dreadful tune stop at all?”

I finally found a nice dining chair to sit down, as it’s the furthest from the piano. Perhaps that would make the dreadful tune more bearable to me.

At the same time, maybe joining the conversation with the group gathered around the sofa was a good idea. That would help me get to know these people more.

“Hey, guys!” I shouted. “If this place has soda cans in the fridge, maybe we should throw a party for ourselves! I mean, there’s enough people in here to bring in the fun, so why not?”

The only response I got was Jill groaning endlessly about the piano. Even Dicky wasn’t even talking to me. What a bummer!

What aggravated my situation even more was the fact that I could still hear the sound of the piano right in this little corner. Gah! How was I supposed to escape the sound of that thing?

The music had finally died down, and I had to admit that I was starting to feel very tired. Maybe I should use the restroom for a moment. It wouldn’t hurt if I take a break, would it?

As soon as I exited the restroom, however, I noticed some chick in black using it. Time to brace for the worst, I guess.

It turned out that I was right all along. Man, that music was one of the most horrible I’ve ever heard in my entire life. I wonder when would she ever stop playing it.

“Aaaarrrggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!” I screamed. “Stop this horrible music immediately! It’s a pain to hear, you know!”

Unfortunately, the chick didn’t reply. In fact, she made the music even louder than before. Why did she do this?

So, since she didn’t give into my demands, perhaps I should make her stop, then. Maybe a little booing will work, hehe. “Boo! Your music sucks! I wish you could just stop playing it!”

I was immediately approached by a red-haired chick in orange, who seemed to look calm amidst the hectic situation. She seemed rather sweet-looking, though.

“You see, Mr. ummm…” she said as loudly as possible so that I could hear her.

“Hal Capp, ma’am,” I finished her sentence enthusiastically. “What do you have to say for me, Miss ummm…”

“It’s Mrs. Coral Oldie to you. You see, if you want to get better attention from women like me, you should learn how to be courteous and nice no matter the situation. That way, people will like you even more. Got it?”

I let those words sink into me and thought for a moment. Maybe that sounds like a great idea to get along with the ladies after all.

“Sure thing,” I clapped my hands. “That sounds like something I would love to do. After all, impressing the ladies is something I like doing.”

“Very good. I guess that’s…”

Our conversation was cut off by the dreadful sound of the piano. What rotten luck! But as soon as I turned around, I caught a glimpse of some blonde chick I didn’t seem to recognize at all. Sounds like an opportunity to ask her, though.

“So,” I clapped my hands once, “Name’s Hal Capp. What’s your name, baby? And what brings you here? I mean, everyone has to have a reason to come here, huh? In my case, me and my buddies got stranded here by some moron of a driver who was supposed to bring us around SimNation, but we were all left behind here like there’s no tomorrow.”

She was a bit silent on my reaction for a few seconds, but eventually spoke up. “Well, my name’s Sandy Bruty and I come here because this place will be a golf course, and I’m just eager to check this place out. Sounds like you guys have gotten a lot of bad luck in here.”

“Oh, definitely. Our driver decided to leave us right in the middle of the road, preventing us to reach wherever destinations we were planning to go to.”

Gosh, this place is quite boring! The only things to do in here are watching TV, riding the dance sphere, and playing the piano. I watched the TV way too many times already, so I got bored of it. The dance sphere would probably throw me away, and people would complain whenever you play the piano.

I think I should just lounge on the sofa and relax.

Unfortunately, the sound of the piano had become too much for me to stand, so I had to find some place to escape the noise of doom.

Sadly, there was no place in this room where I could find some peace and quiet. The other rooms would make me feel lonely, so I ruled out the possibility of doing that. I guess I should go back and do my best to cover my ears.

When I came back around that piano, I saw Coral talking to this black-haired guy with glasses about leadership and such. I think he does look like a true leader because of his actions around here.

“Chick’s got a point, buddy,” I shouted. “I mean. You should lead us.”

I was shortly approached by that chick in black who played the piano just now.

“Well, sir,” she said, “Do you not appreciate the melodic tunes of the piano? I highly consider thinking about it for a moment, and tell me your thoughts about it.”

Melodic? Seriously? She thought that trashy music she played was melodic? How crazy is she, by the way? “Honestly, I would love the sound of the piano if it were played by a professional pianist with great experience and talent, not an amateur like you. I think you shouldn’t played that piano in the first place, if you get what I say.”

“Well,” she said with a confident voice. “We shall see.”

Not long afterwards, the sound of the piano became too unbearable for the people around me that they ended up doing everything they can to cover their ears so that they didn’t have to listen more of that horrible music. Even that chick in black was shouting to the guy playing the piano. Guess it was time for lunch, then.

These lunch meat sandwiches sure tasted good despite how simple they are. It wasn’t much, but it was satisfying to my stomach.

After finishing up my sandwich and washing the plate, I decided to go to the room next to the restroom. Apparently, it was a bedroom with three beds, fiery walls, and several wall decorations, mostly posters. Wow! What kind of room was this? So amazing! I wish my room was like this, but my parents would probably scold me for its “vulgarity”.

I saw enough of that fiery room, where Dicky, Buck, and some random teenage girl eventually came in, so I walked back to the living room. All of a sudden, the phone rang, and I picked it up in the hopes that rescue would come.

“Hello?” I asked as I picked the phone up. Please let it be a rescue team of sorts.

However, there was no immediate response. I really wondered if it was a prank call or not because there had to be a good reason why someone would call here.

Suddenly, I heard a masculine voice from the other line saying “Hello”. I was so excited to hear that the call wasn’t in vain at all.

“Hi, sir,” I responded. “My companions and I are lost in some abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. Do you happen to have some way to get us out of here?”

“Hang on, who’s this?” replied the voice.

“It’s me, Hal Capp. I happened to be stranded in the middle of nowhere with seven other people because the driver abandoned us here.”

“Wait, did you say that you’re Hal Capp? I remember seeing your name on my list of passengers for a road trip. In fact, I think I was supposed to bring you guys around SimNation, but I couldn’t find you guys and my bus.”

Upon hearing this, I began feeling irritated at what that guy said. “So, does this mean that our ‘driver’ is actually a fraud and a robber?”

“I think so,” he replied. “I mean, I was scheduled to take you guys out at 9 am, but my bus disappeared before the schedule started.”

“Huh? That’s strange. I thought the trip starts at 8 am instead of 9.”

“That’s probably a typo on the brochure, and I’m sorry for that. Right now, I need you to stay where you are while I’ll try to get you guys out.”

“But what about…” I said as the other side was hanging up. Man, this was more of a disaster than I thought it was. It turned out that the driver on the bus was a fraud. But how to find out who he is, I didn’t know. There must be some way to get out of here, but I can’t just stay put.

As nighttime set in, I guess it was time for me to take a warm bath to ease my thoughts about that for a while. However, as I entered the bathroom, I found myself in another tense situation.

You see, the bathroom got crowded with several people entering in, and this chick in lilac ended up kicking the rest of us out of the bathroom. Man, that meant that I had no choice but to cancel the bath and sleep right away.

Wow! What a weary day today! First, we were all stranded in the middle of nowhere, then chicks popped out of nowhere, and now there was something wrong with the driver. Even more puzzling was that the real driver seems to know the phone number of this place. I mean, how did he know in the first place? I didn’t even get the chance to ask him that. Gosh, I definitely needed some rest to relieve myself from all that mayhem! At least there are beds in this place, so I took off my clothes and hopped onto the double bed. A good night’s sleep should temporarily relieve me from my stress. Here’s hoping tomorrow would be a better day.

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Now that was what I would call a deep sleep. At least that sleep reenergized me. Let’s see what everyone else was up to.

That Coral chick walked past me with her eyes closed. Maybe she shouldn’t have walked into here in the first place as I woke up. Whatever. Another lost chance at getting some company, then.

I guess she walked to the bathroom, so it wouldn’t be a wise idea to follow her around. Looking at the living room, things were much quieter and more bearable for the time being. Time to go to the restroom because I seriously needed to use it this instance.

As I walked into the restroom, I closed my eyes so that I wouldn’t see any awkwardness as I stepped in. I imagined that it would be perfectly fine if there was nobody in there. Okay, I shouldn’t take any risks, but here we go.

“Hi!” I waved my hand as I closed my eyes. “I hope you don’t mind if I use the restroom.”

However, my response was a feminine voice snarling like: “Open your eyes, you idiot! Can’t you see that I’m busy using the toilet when you barged in here?”

When I opened my eyes, I was shocked to see some blonde chick using the toilet. That was totally unexpected at all. I better leave her alone as soon as possible.

I thought for a moment on what I should do next. Well, seeing that I was still wearing my underwear, I guess taking a bath was the most logical thing to do. Besides, I felt so stiff that I needed a good bath to clean myself.

Once I finished bathing, however, I literally found myself feeling extremely uneasy. In fact, I felt so uneasy that I ended up bending myself and feeling extremely wet all of a sudden. It turned out that I had peed on the floor! Not fair! I thought I could handle a little longer, but I was disproved. Even worse, I literally stank very badly.

Yes, I stank very badly that I had to take a bath again. How tedious! But it was necessary to make me clean again. I certainly wouldn’t want to risk embarrassing myself again, whether bladder accident or not. Time to take a bath again!

That second bath felt extremely tedious, but it was worth the hygiene. Now that I had taken a bath, I had better find something to eat. I felt famished.

Oh, so there was a plate of toaster pastries on the ground. Why it was placed on the ground, probably because all the counters were occupied. At least the pastries felt so warm that feeling the warmth from my dish was enough to make me smile. Time to eat, then.

Sadly, even a nice lunch of toaster pastries didn’t help with my mood. The thought of my bladder accident was just too humiliating to me that it made me feel depressed. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone to bed before using the restroom.

At some point, I exchanged a rather awkward moment of silence with the chick in black. That was a really eerie standoff, considering the fact that she played horribly yesterday. Maybe she was here to tell me not to make fun of her playing. I better think quickly and say something before it degenerated into a brawl.

“Look,” I patted the chick’s right arm. “I’m sorry for making fun of you yesterday about the piano thing. To be honest, you played as best as you could, and that’s more important. Just don’t let anyone’s complaints let you down, even if it’s from me. So do your best at it, okay?” That had better work.

After a brief moment of silence again, she finally opened her mouth to say something. “Thank you for your kind words, sir. I am grateful that you said it. However, you should also make sure that you respect me.”

“On another note, I had not properly introduce myself to you. My appellation is Gvaudoin Tricou and I hail from SimCity. What is yours and where do you hail from?”

“Well, my name’s Hal Capp and I live in Veronaville. To be honest, I’m having a hard time pronouncing your name. How do you do that?”

“It is pronounced as ‘VOW-duan’. Do you get it not? And please call me Miss Tricou. It was improper to call me by my appellation.”

I tried pronouncing her name in my head for a few times, but it was very hard, but I persevered and managed to do it successfully. Awesome! Oh, and I should probably call her by Miss Tricou whenever I’m talking to her. I would think twice before incurring her wrath.

That conversation with Gvaudoin was quite relaxing despite the initial awkward silence. Perhaps I should look in the fridge if there were any food left to eat. Well, the fridge was still well-stocked, but if this one ever runs out, there’s always the second fridge. I hope someone restocks these fridges in case they run out of food and drinks.

There wasn’t any food available on the counters at that moment, other than this bowl of burnt mac and cheese that got rotten. I better wash this thing in the sink. On another note, I thought I smelled a nice smell in the kitchen. I wondered if it had anything to do with anything I had missed. Oh, well. I best wash this bowl as soon as possible.

That bowl took quite some time to wash thoroughly, and it turned the sink quite dirty, so I cleaned it. After all, who in their right mind would want to wash dishes and bowls on a dirty sink?

After washing the bowl and cleaning the sink, I came back to the kitchen and ate one of the lunch meat sandwiches on one of the counters. Its taste was meh, but at least it was satisfying, which was more important.

Ugh, the boredom of this place was killing me. What should I do next?

I ended up giving in and watched the TV. Even though I watch it too much at home, I guess watching here should be a whole new experience. And frankly, I think I missed it to some extent by now. Boy, these TV shows never get old despite my initial hesitation to watch the TV upon arriving here.

After that TV show ended, I guess there was really absolutely nothing interesting for me to do. I had no interest in playing chess at the moment, the piano music was horrid enough to reconsider using the piano, and the dance sphere looked too dangerous. Well, the only thing to do then was to sleep even though it was a bit early for that. But I was feeling so sleepy and tired that I seriously needed to go to bed early.

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Since I slept very early, I happened to wake up very early as well. It seemed that I woke up in the middle of the night feeling unusually refreshed. Kinda weird, but I guess I slept too early. Oh, well. Off to take a nice, refreshing bath.

The bath was really soothing, but what was more fun was tub pirating in the tub. Woo! Made me young and jolly again! Felt like a little kid once more!

Once I stopped tub pirating, I immediately noticed Coral staring at me with a serious look on her face. Ouch. I never meant anyone harm, including her, but here she was staring at me like a stern parent would do to a misbehaving child. Was it because of what I did on the tub that gave me a disapproving look?

Before I could talk to her, Buck entered the bathroom and started talking to her. Didn’t know what they were talking about, but at least that saved me from a stern lecture from Coral.

After their conversation was over, I walked towards Coral and asked, “Were you mad at me for tub pirating just now?”

“So what you did was called tub pirating?” Coral’s frown turned into a rather amusing smile. “An old lady like me should learn more from younger people like you. Oh, and regarding the tub, I wasn’t actually mad, but just impatient.”

That was a sigh or relief, but did she mention that she was old? She didn’t look that old to me. Maybe she was actually way older than me, or maybe she came from another era and got lost after experiencing some sort of time travel. I would love to find out more, but before I could ask her, I heard Buck shooing us to get out of the bathtub. Perhaps I should ask her at some other time, provided that I have the chance.

Once I got kicked out of the bathroom, I walked towards the kitchen and opened one of the fridges to see what it had in store. Apparently, there was a milk carton that looked fresh, so I drank it. That was refreshing, but I needed to find something more satisfying to my hunger.

Ah, a nice can of Milkis from the counter was just the thing I needed to sate my appetite. Well, that drink was so darn good! Felt like forever when I last drank it, so it was a pleasant surprise to find some in here.

Maybe I should ride on this dance sphere this time? I haven’t ridden on it ever since I came here, so why not give it a try?

This proved to be a lot of fun. I could felt myself moving with the sphere as I held the handle tightly. How awesome was this?

Being trapped in the dance sphere when it was shaking violently, however, was not a fun thing to experience. I had lost grip of the handle that I ended up getting thrown out of the sphere itself. What should I do next after this, then?

I walked into the bedroom with the double bed and was mildly surprised to see Gvaudoin in there. When she turned around, she looked a bit surprised and pleased at the same time.

“Mr. Capp!” she exclaimed silently yet enthusiastically. “What do you want from me?”

“Umm…” I thought for a moment on what I should talk to her about: The sphere, or Coral’s actual age? I guess I should just talk to her about Coral. “Do you know the redhead lady?”

“That red-haired lady? Well, why did you mention her?”

“I spoke to her just now, and she called herself old despite her fair appearance. I was wondering whether or not we should discover why she became young like that.”

“I do not know who that red-haired maiden is, but I shall have to collaborate with you.”

“That’s great. Her name’s Coral Oldie, just so you know.”

“That is much appreciated. However, I shall have to find something to satisfy my hunger.”

“Alright, then. I’ll see you later.”

That was quite a nice conversation, but I shall have to eat some cereal to satisfy my hunger even more. Maybe several bowls of cereal should do. After all, I was serving for others as well as for myself. Talking about killing two birds with one stone.

After grabbing a bowl of cereal and eating it on the table for a few seconds, I later heard someone setting his or her bowl right in front of me. I wondered who that was.

“Hi,” I looked up. “Would you mind if you introduce yourself? Name’s Hal Capp, by the way.”

“Hi,” said the chick. “My name’s Darleen Matlapin. Do you happen to notice anything interesting about this house?”

“Anything about the house?” I asked. Ever since when did people around here started worrying about this house? “If you don’t count the redhead chick, then no. Why did you ask?”

“Well,” she cried, “I read a book on the shelf when I was relaxing on the bed, and I probably found something interesting about the house’s history. Must be something that has to do with what has become of this place. By the way, did you mention a redhead chick?”

“Yup.”

“Does she live here?”

“No. She’s part of the road trip, and I think she blurted out something that revealed to me that she might actually be an old lady.”

“Wow, that’s interesting! I think I should just go back to bed as soon as possible. See you later.”

That was quite a conversation I had with Darleen, but off I go to wash our bowls. I managed to learn something while telling someone else about something fishy about someone in our midst.

The toilet happened to look extremely gross, so I had no choice but to clean it well so that other people can use it without having to worry about getting themselves dirty. This should take some time to finish.

Now that I had finished cleaning the toilet, I should clean my hands afterwards. My only concern was that the blonde chick from yesterday was washing the dishes when I decided to wash my hands. Talking about bad timing. Maybe I should just take a bath instead to deal with my hygiene.

But as soon as I turned around to exit the restroom, I heard something rather unpleasant.

It was that angsty blonde chick. It seemed that she was completely ticked off at my presence. Oh, the humanity! When will we ever reconcile?

“Stop following me, you pervert!” she slapped my arms with so much strength that I backed off.

“Easy there!” I muttered. “I was just here to wash the dishes and the toilet.”

“Well, I got the feeling that you were stalking me just now! Don’t you know how embarrassing that was?”

Stalking her? I wasn’t. I really wasn’t! I was just trying to wash my hand, and she was washing the dishes when I wanted to do that. I should get out of the restroom as soon as possible.

Once I exited the restroom, I began hearing the piano being played again. I turned around to see that blonde chick playing it. The only difference was that she was playing it well and not horribly. What a surprise! I should better take a bath at that moment.

As soon as I entered the bathroom, I smelled a rather stinky smell around there. Eeeewwww! What could be causing this to happen?

It was Dicky and Gvaudoin talking together that made me think it was either one of them that stank. Most likely Gvaudoin because she was wearing her undies rather than her normal clothes. I should probably just tell them to get out of the bathroom because I wanted to take a bath.

Alright, I was getting rather impatient. I didn’t get to wash my hands just now, and there were people talking to each other rather than actually using the bathtub. I had had enough of this nonsense.

“Shoo!” I shouted as I chased them out. “I would love to have some privacy in here.”

Man, that bath was warm and nice, and I felt fresh as well! The toaster pastry I ate for lunch was nice, but I wished there were more food options available. What if any of us learn to cook better until we could cook the better food later on. There’s definitely nothing wrong with eating toaster pastries, but I would love to have some variety in this house.

Man, Dicky was very horrible at the piano! I wished he could stop playing and take a break. After all, that would alleviate other people’s sufferings a bit.

Let’s just say that there was literally nothing for me to do but to take a nap. After all, I was literally tired from all that stuff that happened today. Maybe a nap is something I should do to pass my day.

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Man, I felt like I took an extremely long nap today! I mean, it was nighttime when I woke up. Probably overslept, but at least the sleep was worth it. Let’s see what I should do next.

Well, there was nothing in the kitchen except for a dirty bowl. Better wash it clean, though.

On the other hand, I felt that this place needs better lighting. The white lamp in the kitchen looks nice, but a fancier one would be much better.

As soon as I walked out of the kitchen, the stench from the bowl reached my nose. This was a sure sign that I seriously needed to wash this bowl as soon as possible. I wouldn’t want anyone in here to get sick.

Once I finished washing the bowl, I used the toilet as well. But once I was done, the toilet was quickly flooded with water, even spreading to the right. I better mop it up, but I couldn’t clean up the water around the toilet itself.

Eating a nice meal of mac and cheese was quite a relief for me after all that hard work I did at the bathroom. The meal was quite fulfilling in a sense, but I still wanted variety. All I ate were mac and cheese, cereal, and pancakes.

Even worse, the sound of someone playing the piano horribly had always produced atrociously unpleasant music into my ears. When can I ever escape from all this mayhem, I may never know.

Ugh! What was that stinky smell in the living room? One moment I was sitting on the sofa, and the next I smelled that stench in here. What was wrong with this place, anyway? Maybe someone forgot to take a bath.

Perhaps watching the TV would take my mind off of that smell. At least the show was entertaining while it lasted.

All that stink was getting into my nerves, so I quickly took a bath and came back here. By the time I returned, I found out that the piano was unused at the moment.

Suddenly, a thought struck me: People had been constantly playing the piano ever since we came here. I wondered if it was true that they were the ones playing horribly, or there was something beyond our control that was actually behind it. I should try playing it to test it out. From what I had played so far, I realized that this was my very first time playing the piano, so I had to try my best even if it wasn’t that perfect. Still fun, though. I’ll just keep playing it until I get bored of it.

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Once I finished playing, I suddenly felt the urge to use the restroom immediately. Maybe playing the piano up until the sun rises isn’t such a good idea after all.

Once I finished using the restroom, I tried to go to sleep in order to feel more refreshed after sitting in front of the piano all night long, but I suddenly woke up to the sound of my stomach grumbling for food. I guess it was time for lunch, and I better not miss it.

I was deeply grateful that there were lunch meat sandwiches on the counter. Definitely reduced the need to cook food and accidentally cause unnecessary fires. I was also grateful for some company around here regardless of whether or not I know that person. That made things more interesting, I guess.

“What’s up, sir?” the guy in the hoodie exclaimed. “How’s your day been going? You know, you really need to wear something nice and warm. You wouldn’t want any lice on you.”

Gee, this guy shouldn’t mind my own business. What a nosy fellow. “I’m fine, thank you,” I replied after taking a bite off of the sandwich. “I just need to eat this sandwich so that I can continue with my life.”

“Oooo… Does that include taking a bath and wearing proper clothes? You better do.”

Hmph! That guy is a pompous busybody! I should just ignore his ramblings and continue eating my sandwich. That would make me feel better.

Unfortunately, that idiot wouldn’t stop bothering me, so I took my sandwich with the plate and ate in the kitchen. After quickly locking the doors, I finally ate the sandwich in peace, even if it meant standing up while eating. At least it was worth it.

After unlocking the door and washing the dish, I entered the bathroom for a nice bath. Sadly, the tap was broken and there were puddles around the tub. Time to mop the floor until it was clean.

After several hours of mopping the floor, I eventually decided to take a bath despite the faulty tap. Oh, well. At least it was nice. I wished someone would come and fix it well.

Man, this room was a mess! On one hand, I better mop this place clean immediately. On the other hand, someone came by and repaired the bathtub to prevent any water from spilling out. That was a relief because I never knew how to repair stuff like those.

Now that all the mopping was done, it was time for me to relax and enjoy a nice TV show. That was probably a relaxing time I had. I should watch the TV more often in here, I guess.

I think I should spend more time with other people these days. Makes it a bit less boring here. Hey, maybe I should talk to Darleen. She just got done with her dinner. Perhaps a little chat would help.

“Mind if I talk to you on whatever topic we wanna talk about?” I asked.

“Sure thing,” she answered. “How about we step outside for now. We need some fresh air around here, don’t you think?”

“Okay, then.” Talking outside sounds like a creepy thing to do normally, but in this case, a little fresh air is definitely needed for now.

The night breeze felt very soothing to me. Must be because of how stale the air in the house felt. I mean, there’s no air conditioner inside the rooms whatsoever. Oh, well. At least the outdoors proved to be more relaxing.

What should I talk about to Darleen? Maybe that TV show I watched just now might do. “Do you remember that TV show about the two arguing sisters?”

“What about it? I haven’t heard of it for a long time. Wait, isn’t that about those two constantly bickering to each other the whole time?”

“On one episode, the good sister got a nice birthday present from the bad sister, but when she opened it up, it turned out to be a box of tissue!” I giggled once I finished the sentence, and Darleen giggle with me as well. Man, good times sure need some reminiscing.

As I entered the kitchen for a nice supper, I noticed a chopping board with unprepared mac and cheese lying on the ground. How fortunate was I! Better prepare a huge bowl for others to eat and grab a small one for myself.

Ah, a dinner is definitely free potluck guaranteed. Loved the feeling it gave every time I eat something at nighttime. I probably should eat a decent meal every time before I go to bed. Pretty much suits me just fine.

I was even more grateful when I had some company shortly afterwards in the form of Gvaudoin. She seemed to be eating rather calmly. I better talk to her what she had been up to lately. A little chat would never hurt, would it?

“Excuse me,” I exclaimed. “What have you been up to these days? Come on; don’t be shy. I won’t hurt you at all, I promise.”

“Do you notice any oddities around this hovel we have been staying for a few days? I have seen such things in the form of the insolence of certain people among us.”

“Any odd things?” Maybe this was the time to mention the phone call I got during the first day. I might as well mention Coral as well. “I got a phone call from someone claiming to be the actual bus driver whose bus got stolen. He even said that the driver who left us here is actually an impostor. Sorry that I forgot to mention it earlier. Oh, and by the way, do you still remember what I told you about Mrs. Oldie?”

“I had forgotten most of that, but I am very delighted that you have reminded me. The information is very much appreciated. Now, what can we do to investigate the people around us further? And how did you acquire the knowledge about the valet and the supposed charlatan?”

“The real driver called me the first day we came here. He said he might try getting us out of here in no time. Things sure are getting creepier than I first thought.”

“Say, have you ever harbored any doubts in regards to our eventual rescue? There are times that I despaired.”

“Doubts? I don’t think so. I still believe that there will be rescue will eventually come, so I’m not keeping my hopes down. Why do you doubt, by the way? I don’t think there’s a reason to doubt.”

“…”

“Er, hello?”

Apparently, she passed out with her face on her own food. That was really unexpected. Not to mention that she looked like she was already in desperate need of sleep by that point. I think I should just wash my bowl.

As I was on the way to the restroom, I spotted Coral playing the piano. However, it was interesting that she played well, which was a good thing. But the fact that she was playing in the middle of the night made me worry a bit because that would wake Gvaudoin up. I mean, she just passed out due to lack of sleep, and she better not be disturbed.

Once I finished washing the bowl, I walked into the living room again and saw Coral playing the piano endlessly. She definitely should just stop playing it. After all, think of poor Gvaudoin over at the dining table. She badly needed her sleep. I should just tell that chick to stop, then.

“Er… excuse me?” I said as vigorously as possible. “I don’t want to interrupt you, but some people need to sleep.”

Unfortunately, I got no response at all. Bummer.

With all the madness around me, I was getting tired. Maybe I should just lay down on the sofa and take a brief nap. At first, it was a bit hard due to the sound of the piano, but the sound finally died down. I must take that opportunity to sleep peacefully.

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Man, that was quite a nap I had! I felt myself feeling unusually more energetic than before. I opened my eyes to see what had happened so far. I had to admit that it was quite a shock that the sun had been shining very brightly, which was a clear indication that it was around noon when I woke up. That was… unexpected. It seemed that my little nap had turned into a sleep instead. But at least I didn’t feel sleepy anymore.

As I used the restroom, a thought suddenly came into my mind. What if Gvaudoin was right that rescue might not come for us? Maybe this place is just too isolated for rescuers to even come across this place. That might as well explain why there seemed to be no sign of genuine rescue in here. Well, I know there were some random walk-bys, but I can’t really trust them, can I?

Anyway, off to concentrate on my needs. I was feeling slightly starving, so I went to the kitchen, where I discovered a nice plate of lunch meat sandwiches on the counter. Awesome! Best grab one and eat it to my heart’s content.

Ugh! What was that smell?! It was really stinky and… it came from me! Gross! Sure sign that I better take a bath or something.

Sadly, the bathroom doors were locked for good. That does it! What should I do to become clean without the aid of a bathtub? I better think quickly.

Finally, after much pondering, I had an idea. I went to the restroom and found a sponge somewhere behind the toilet. Awesome! Definitely needed the sponge for the plan to work. Afterwards, I soaked the sponge with water from the sink and used it to rub onto my body. It may not feel as comfortable as taking a normal bath, but at least all that stink in my body was gone. Also, what kind of person puts sponges behind toilets, I may never know, but at least the sponge bathing was worth the effort, I think.

Time for a hearty meal consisting of a lunch meat sandwich. I know it wasn’t much, but at least it felt oddly satisfying because of the fact that grand meals were impossible in here.

After eating my sandwich, I went to talk to an acquaintance. After all, I had some stuff to say to him.

“Mind if I talk to you for a while?” I asked. “It won’t be long, I suppose.”

“Sure thing,” Dicky replied. “What do you want to talk about anyway?”

“I have some stuff to ask you. First of all, do you notice anything weird about Coral? Second of all, do you think rescue would eventually come? And lastly, do you know that the driver who left us here is actually an impostor?”

After a brief silence, Dicky finally spoke up. “I don’t think I’ve seen anything weird about Coral. I guess we haven’t interacted that much. Oh, and I’m very sure that rescue would come eventually. It would be way cooler if we know the future, though. And did you say anything about the driver? I never thought of him being an impostor. Oh, and if I were you, I might need to keep a careful eye on Darleen from now on.”

“Well, what about her?” To be honest, I never thought there would be something weird about Darleen. She always seemed to be pretty normal to me.

“You’ll see. I haven’t figured out about that, though.”

That was quite a conversation I had, but I had other stuff to do. While I was walking, however, I felt myself being slapped in the arm. It turned out to be Buck Grunt, whom I talked to during the first day we arrived here. That was unexpected, and I braced myself for the worst, just in case he might accuse me of doing something I didn’t do.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to, because he looked rather shocked and horrified right afterwards. I was guessing he was already familiar with me.

“Eek!” he squeaked. “I’m sorry for this incident! I didn’t know it was you passing by. Please forgive me!”

“Relax, buddy,” I said. “I was just passing by, so no harm done.”

Phew! I was fortunate Buck realized the error of his ways. Anyway, gotta take a bath and scrub the tub clean. I certainly wouldn’t want it to become so infected that people might get sick. That would be gross.

As I walked out of the bathroom and into the fiery room, I spotted the blonde chick in the room. Maybe I should just talk to her just so that we could get along together.

“What is it that you want?” she asked. She better not play rough with me.

“I think we haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet,” I answered. “My name’s Hal Capp, if you don’t mind.”

“My name’s Jill Smith, and I’m from…”

Before she could finish her sentence, I heard a feminine voice clearing out her throat rather loudly.

Jill turned around and we both spotted Coral in the room. Apparently, they ended up playing with each other as if I wasn’t here. Oh, well. I better head somewhere else with more privacy.

Speaking of privacy, I cooked a mice meal of mac and cheese, grabbed a bowl, and ate it to my heart’s content. It felt rather good to eat in peace all alone with nobody to bother about.

Unfortunately, my inner peace completely faded away after I finished washing my bowl. With all these suspicions rising up in here, I wondered whether or not it would be possible for us to get along well. From what I had heard about Darleen from Dicky, is she up to no good or what? Even more than that, will I ever find some company around here? Something inanimate like a mop would still suffice.

I shouldn’t just get myself preoccupied with all those nonsense. I should just sleep well in the hopes that all these nonsense would go away. Only time will tell if we will ever get rescued.

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