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The Village
Mar. 4th, 2016 07:47 amLJ Idol, Week 12
Topic: Happy Place
The few remaining trolls, goblins and demons thought they had a home at the Happy Place Retirement Village, but they were wrong. Their neighbors were seeing to that, despite the best efforts of Stan Gibson, the owner of The Village.
Stan, a wealthy and generous developer, had built The Village as a gated community specifically for the “monsters,” as the neighbors liked to call them. There were three sections of homes, one for the trolls, who didn’t like the goblins, another for the goblins, who reciprocated, and the third for the demons, who couldn’t get along with anyone. Ancient animosities died hard, Stan had found.
There was a clubhouse and a swimming pool. The gate was strong and the walls were topped with barbed wire to keep the neighbors out. To appeal to the residents, their homes had been made to resemble caves. The clubhouse looked like a castle, with a moat for swimming and a drawbridge. It was the perfect setting.
The Village catered to elderly goblins, trolls, and demons, because they were all that remained of once vibrant communities. Stan had wanted to use his wealth to preserve what was left of their cultures, now nearly extinct due to the changing taste in books and movies, which neglected them in favor of vampires, zombies, and werewolves. A few humans lived in The Village to help keep belief in the trolls, goblins, and demons alive, but the youngest human was now 62 years old. “I wonder how much longer they’ll last,” Stan thought sadly.
The immediate problem, though, wasn’t age, it was the neighbors. They had never wanted The Village built near them.
“We don’t believe in them, so why should they be here?” Bill Williams, president of the Neighborhood Association, had asked the Permit Board. Everyone had thought that Stan should have moved the “monsters” to Hollywood, where movie work was available and occasional believers could still be found. After all, it was California, “and those jokers will believe in anything,” Mary Rose, another neighbor, had said.
Despite the opposition, Happy Place Retirement Village had been built. “We imagined them,” Stan had argued to the Board, “and now we have to house them.” “OK,” Bill had countered, “but why here? Think of the children!” The neighbors had been afraid that “those monsters” would invade the sleep of their children and give them bad dreams.
Stan had ultimately won with the help of a few members of the local writers’ union, who were planning fantasy trilogies and needed the trolls, goblins and demons as set pieces.
Once The Village had been finished, the trolls had been the first to move in. Not to be outdone by “those slow-moving mountains,” the goblins (“Not them!” the trolls had complained) had quickly followed, and eventually the demons had arrived. “We won’t eat them,” the trolls and goblins had promised.
Stan liked to plan fun activities to keep everyone happy and the rivalries down. There was the monthly storming of the castle, which unfortunately required frequent repairs to the clubhouse, and the ever-popular Friday Night Fights, which featured the use of foam rubber clubs in a caged “fight to the death.” Mediation Monday was always popular because of the free doughnuts, which gave the residents an opportunity to resolve their grievances (“Brzak keeps eating my flowers!” “Give Zkkbst a hug – wait, not so hard!”).
All in all, the residents would enjoy a happy life until they ultimately faded away, victims of a skeptical world.
The residents were good citizens, paying their taxes and contributing to the local economy by attracting a few tourists. “Look honey, there goes a troll! I didn’t think they were real, but they’re huge – where’s Timmy?” The tourists were also important to the residents because their rekindled belief in them improved their health. “After all,” growled Grkak, “every little bit helps. Let them stare!”
Despite the inevitable dying out of the residents, the neighbors remained opposed to The Village. “What happens when zombies become unpopular – will they be next?” Bill Williams asked. “Are we going to be a dumping ground for every out-of-fashion mythical creature? Let the writers have them!”
The final straw was Bill’s cat, which was missing one morning. When Bill couldn’t find Misty, he knew what happened – “Those monsters ate her!” Two other residents also lost their pets around the same time. “It’s the monsters!” “Save our pets!” “They’ve got to go!” the neighbors said.
The Happy Place Village residents denied everything and a police investigation did not find any evidence. Despite the fact that the lost pets all wandered back home eventually, tension ran high, and the unhappy neighbors scheduled a meeting before the Permit Board to close The Village.
At a residents’ meeting in the castle, Stan admitted to being worried. “We need a plan,” he warned, “or they’ll shut us down!” This upset the crowd, but after the roaring and gnashing of teeth died down, they got to work on a solution.
At the Permit Board meeting the next week, Stan surprised everyone. “I know that many of you are unhappy with our residents, despite the fact that they have never harmed anyone, not even your pets, and certainly not your children. Despite this, they do not want to live where they’re not wanted, so I am closing Happy Place Retirement Village!”
The crowd burst into loud cheers, almost missing what Stan said next.
“In its place, I’m going to open an amusement park!”
This quieted the crowd – they did not know what to think. The chant started slowly, led by children: “Stan, Stan, amusement park man!” It was picked up by the adults, and the Permit Board quickly issued the permits for the Happy Place Amusement Park.
Nobody saw the residents leave, but everyone saw the bulldozers and construction crews arrive. No one was allowed in to see the work. Anticipation grew until finally, Opening Day arrived. Stan and Bill cut the ceremonial ribbon at the gate, and the crowd swarmed in.
Happy Place Amusement Park defied all expectations. It was small, but packed with attractions. In the center was a castle, complete with a moat! Every day at noon, it was stormed by a crowd of menacing goblins, trolls and demons, but they were successfully repelled by a few elderly but brave knights. Even better, the moat was open for swimming!
In another location they could enjoy the Cage Fight, in which monsters fought with realistic-looking foam rubber clubs! Everyone cheered for their favorites.
And then there were the Caves of Wonder, which rapidly became one of the most popular attractions. People could explore life-size replicas of troll caves, goblin warrens, and demon pits. They looked so authentic that it was easy to imagine the creatures actually living in them! Customers loved the attention to detail, including the photographs of loved ones, who looked convincingly like other park employees.
A small train, driven by a demon, ran throughout the park, taking visitors to the various sites, including the refreshment stands and souvenir store. The most popular item was a t-shirt featuring a troll, goblin or demon underneath the park’s slogan “I Believe!” There were also hand-made crafts for sale, such as clubs, swords, and pitch forks. And of course, at designated times, the creatures were available for autographs and pictures.
Happy Place Amusement Park was a huge success, and families came from all over the region. The neighbors never complained about the employees, who became minor celebrities in the local community. In fact, the neighbors were happy to live so close to the amusement park, and pleased with the rise in property values.
The trolls, goblins and demons benefitted the most. With the increase in believers, they had never been so healthy, and now they had something to do with their time besides fight with each other. The few scuffles that did break out were just viewed as another attraction.
Stan had never been happier and the creatures had never been safer. To show their gratitude, the creatures held an annual Stan Gibson Appreciation Day at the park, with free “Stan the Man” t-shirts for the first 500 visitors.
Stan was pleased to be appreciated, but that had never been his motive. His satisfaction came from knowing that his legacy would be the continuation of these creatures for many generations to come.
* * * * * *
My thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
halfshellvenus for beta reading this story.
Topic: Happy Place
THE VILLAGE
The few remaining trolls, goblins and demons thought they had a home at the Happy Place Retirement Village, but they were wrong. Their neighbors were seeing to that, despite the best efforts of Stan Gibson, the owner of The Village.
Stan, a wealthy and generous developer, had built The Village as a gated community specifically for the “monsters,” as the neighbors liked to call them. There were three sections of homes, one for the trolls, who didn’t like the goblins, another for the goblins, who reciprocated, and the third for the demons, who couldn’t get along with anyone. Ancient animosities died hard, Stan had found.
There was a clubhouse and a swimming pool. The gate was strong and the walls were topped with barbed wire to keep the neighbors out. To appeal to the residents, their homes had been made to resemble caves. The clubhouse looked like a castle, with a moat for swimming and a drawbridge. It was the perfect setting.
The Village catered to elderly goblins, trolls, and demons, because they were all that remained of once vibrant communities. Stan had wanted to use his wealth to preserve what was left of their cultures, now nearly extinct due to the changing taste in books and movies, which neglected them in favor of vampires, zombies, and werewolves. A few humans lived in The Village to help keep belief in the trolls, goblins, and demons alive, but the youngest human was now 62 years old. “I wonder how much longer they’ll last,” Stan thought sadly.
The immediate problem, though, wasn’t age, it was the neighbors. They had never wanted The Village built near them.
“We don’t believe in them, so why should they be here?” Bill Williams, president of the Neighborhood Association, had asked the Permit Board. Everyone had thought that Stan should have moved the “monsters” to Hollywood, where movie work was available and occasional believers could still be found. After all, it was California, “and those jokers will believe in anything,” Mary Rose, another neighbor, had said.
Despite the opposition, Happy Place Retirement Village had been built. “We imagined them,” Stan had argued to the Board, “and now we have to house them.” “OK,” Bill had countered, “but why here? Think of the children!” The neighbors had been afraid that “those monsters” would invade the sleep of their children and give them bad dreams.
Stan had ultimately won with the help of a few members of the local writers’ union, who were planning fantasy trilogies and needed the trolls, goblins and demons as set pieces.
Once The Village had been finished, the trolls had been the first to move in. Not to be outdone by “those slow-moving mountains,” the goblins (“Not them!” the trolls had complained) had quickly followed, and eventually the demons had arrived. “We won’t eat them,” the trolls and goblins had promised.
Stan liked to plan fun activities to keep everyone happy and the rivalries down. There was the monthly storming of the castle, which unfortunately required frequent repairs to the clubhouse, and the ever-popular Friday Night Fights, which featured the use of foam rubber clubs in a caged “fight to the death.” Mediation Monday was always popular because of the free doughnuts, which gave the residents an opportunity to resolve their grievances (“Brzak keeps eating my flowers!” “Give Zkkbst a hug – wait, not so hard!”).
All in all, the residents would enjoy a happy life until they ultimately faded away, victims of a skeptical world.
The residents were good citizens, paying their taxes and contributing to the local economy by attracting a few tourists. “Look honey, there goes a troll! I didn’t think they were real, but they’re huge – where’s Timmy?” The tourists were also important to the residents because their rekindled belief in them improved their health. “After all,” growled Grkak, “every little bit helps. Let them stare!”
Despite the inevitable dying out of the residents, the neighbors remained opposed to The Village. “What happens when zombies become unpopular – will they be next?” Bill Williams asked. “Are we going to be a dumping ground for every out-of-fashion mythical creature? Let the writers have them!”
The final straw was Bill’s cat, which was missing one morning. When Bill couldn’t find Misty, he knew what happened – “Those monsters ate her!” Two other residents also lost their pets around the same time. “It’s the monsters!” “Save our pets!” “They’ve got to go!” the neighbors said.
The Happy Place Village residents denied everything and a police investigation did not find any evidence. Despite the fact that the lost pets all wandered back home eventually, tension ran high, and the unhappy neighbors scheduled a meeting before the Permit Board to close The Village.
At a residents’ meeting in the castle, Stan admitted to being worried. “We need a plan,” he warned, “or they’ll shut us down!” This upset the crowd, but after the roaring and gnashing of teeth died down, they got to work on a solution.
At the Permit Board meeting the next week, Stan surprised everyone. “I know that many of you are unhappy with our residents, despite the fact that they have never harmed anyone, not even your pets, and certainly not your children. Despite this, they do not want to live where they’re not wanted, so I am closing Happy Place Retirement Village!”
The crowd burst into loud cheers, almost missing what Stan said next.
“In its place, I’m going to open an amusement park!”
This quieted the crowd – they did not know what to think. The chant started slowly, led by children: “Stan, Stan, amusement park man!” It was picked up by the adults, and the Permit Board quickly issued the permits for the Happy Place Amusement Park.
Nobody saw the residents leave, but everyone saw the bulldozers and construction crews arrive. No one was allowed in to see the work. Anticipation grew until finally, Opening Day arrived. Stan and Bill cut the ceremonial ribbon at the gate, and the crowd swarmed in.
Happy Place Amusement Park defied all expectations. It was small, but packed with attractions. In the center was a castle, complete with a moat! Every day at noon, it was stormed by a crowd of menacing goblins, trolls and demons, but they were successfully repelled by a few elderly but brave knights. Even better, the moat was open for swimming!
In another location they could enjoy the Cage Fight, in which monsters fought with realistic-looking foam rubber clubs! Everyone cheered for their favorites.
And then there were the Caves of Wonder, which rapidly became one of the most popular attractions. People could explore life-size replicas of troll caves, goblin warrens, and demon pits. They looked so authentic that it was easy to imagine the creatures actually living in them! Customers loved the attention to detail, including the photographs of loved ones, who looked convincingly like other park employees.
A small train, driven by a demon, ran throughout the park, taking visitors to the various sites, including the refreshment stands and souvenir store. The most popular item was a t-shirt featuring a troll, goblin or demon underneath the park’s slogan “I Believe!” There were also hand-made crafts for sale, such as clubs, swords, and pitch forks. And of course, at designated times, the creatures were available for autographs and pictures.
Happy Place Amusement Park was a huge success, and families came from all over the region. The neighbors never complained about the employees, who became minor celebrities in the local community. In fact, the neighbors were happy to live so close to the amusement park, and pleased with the rise in property values.
The trolls, goblins and demons benefitted the most. With the increase in believers, they had never been so healthy, and now they had something to do with their time besides fight with each other. The few scuffles that did break out were just viewed as another attraction.
Stan had never been happier and the creatures had never been safer. To show their gratitude, the creatures held an annual Stan Gibson Appreciation Day at the park, with free “Stan the Man” t-shirts for the first 500 visitors.
Stan was pleased to be appreciated, but that had never been his motive. His satisfaction came from knowing that his legacy would be the continuation of these creatures for many generations to come.
* * * * * *
My thanks to
halfshellvenus for beta reading this story.
