Chapter Ten [Video]

[thebestseller]

[A bored-looking Castle is seated at the desk at Hoarders, reading a book entitled "Seahorses: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual".]

I have learned so much about seahorses these past few days. Quite fascinating, really.

Comments

[thebestseller]

I've been stuck here a while. That and my housemate has pet seahorses, and I'm taking care of them while he's sick.

[hunting_trip]

Weird choices in exotic pets aside for a second, how long's a while? How long's this been going on?

[thebestseller]

I've been here since January; I was the New Year Baby of New Moore, incidentally. I know others who have been stuck here for much longer than that. Don't know how far back it goes, though.

[hunting_trip]

New year baby...

[...uh huh.]

Well congrats on that, dude. I'm sure you're very proud, but do you know anybody that's actually gotten to leave this crapfest?

[thebestseller]

Plenty of them. As to how they do it, it remains a mystery.

[hunting_trip]

[Awesome. He passed a hand over his face.]

Well, at least there's something.

[A beat.]

So what do you even do here? It's a freaking island- this is like a retirement community for rich old people.

[thebestseller]

A little bit of something.

[He smiles.]

I am a clerk at this fine book store. Since I'm a writer, it seemed to suit me.

[hunting_trip]

I meant more like the general 'you', but yeah, okay, I guess that answers my question. You just, what, get jobs and play Monopoly?

[Not exactly the worst torture he's ever heard, even if Monopoly is the most boring game in existence.]

Not to harp on, dude, but what the hell is the point?

[thebestseller]

Yeah. Yeah, pretty much. The kids go to school, the grown-ups work. Officially, the point is supposed to be teaching us how to be real people. I know, I know, we already know how, but that's the line we get fed.

[hunting_trip]

Yeah, I get that whole reintroduction to society crap.

[Which he thinks is a load of crap, and probably just the polite sticker label on what they actually want.

So he's trying to figure out what, exactly, the ulterior motive is from someone that's been here longer. No such luck.

Seems like it's probably not monopoly.]

And since when are real people this damn charitable?

[thebestseller]

Not much more to it than that.

[Castle shrugs.]

Charitable as far as making sure everyone has a job and a place to sleep in? Never.