The Sim Bin
Pretty soon the darkness began to fade as my eyes adjusted. Was I now there? I could see a door in front of me so I tried it. It opened easily so it's not like I was locked in this space.
I stepped out into a corridor that was full of soft lighting there were lots of doors all over the walls with weird and strange creatures mingling about. One young man said something about having to go. He was headed for the Exchange. He went into a room full of light and coding then disappeared before the door had even shut.
I was utterly lost. Was this the Sim Bin that grandmother had talked about in the book? An official looking guy with a hot dog suit on came into the hall holding a megaphone.
"Alright - Dan Flame? I'm looking for a Dan Flame! Your ride is waiting behind door number 3468. Dan Flame to door 3468. Also, anyone seen Colt Brooks? Got a private message for him from Sunlit Tides. If anyone figures out what door he's hiding behind, send him to the front desk!"
The hot dog suit put down the megaphone and gave me a raised eyebrow. "You're new. Have no clue what's going on huh?"
I shook my head. "Is this the Sim Bin?" He laughed and used the megaphone to point at all the doors. "They're all Sim Bins, kid. Most people don't leave the one they're in. What door did you come from so I know where to put you back? I'm surprised when you arrived you didn't get greeted."
"But I came into a dark room and I don't know what door it is anymore."
Hot dog became confused. "A dark room? The only dark room in this place is janitor's closet. What's your name kid?"
"Sunset. My grandmother sent me here."
Sudden understanding lit his eyes as he wrapped his fingers about my bicep. "I know exactly where to send you kid. Just don't get lost."
With that he lead, almost dragged me towards some sort of people conveyor belt in the center of one large corridor. We kept walking past people but it made us go like five times faster than if we had just been walking along the hall. We hopped off at the end of the long hallway and stepped into another common room type thing with doors all around. There were a lot of people I recognized hanging around. I saw several versions of all four of my great grandmothers. I saw various other versions of my great grandfathers, too. Then there were other people I recognized from their memories and videos.
"What is this place?"
"Sunset Valley mixer. Every now and then they all sneak out of their rooms to talk about things they've done. Dynasties. legacies, and stuff for fun. You know."
"Not really."
"Oh right. Well just through here then." He once again started leading me but this time it was around the crowd. I couldn't believe just how many there were. I could see five Agnes's all standing near the edge talking about how no one ever uses spice brown to their liking. It was when I looked past them that my feet actually stopped moving. My parents were there! They were dressed in the clothes from their wedding picture but it was them.
I'd know them anywhere. The hot dog pulled at my arm muttering something about not now. He was right of course. What would I say to them? That I believed what Grandma had wrote so I was doing it? They always thought it was weird that I spent so much time with her anyway. They'd thought she had been a little batty. Of course, I could see them talking to at least two versions of her right then so I wasn't sure what to think. I decided it was best to keep following hot dog.
Finally he brought me to a door and used a key ring I hadn't seen before to open it up. He turned on the light inside and looked back at me. "This is your stop kid. You're on your own and try to not fail or get into any trouble. I'll see if I can find a way to sneak your book in there sometime soon ok? Just try to remember the names she left for you. Oh and Good luck."
That's when I got pushed into the lighted room. I went to ask a question but I had already lost him. I was doing that travelling thing again. At least this time there was some light.
