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The sharp lunge of the truck’s jagged gears catching had been rough for Oswald at first. Every time the truck switched gears, the entire vehicle would lurch back, throwing Oswald forward and nearly off the edge of the trunk. But with time, it felt like nothing more than a bump in the road, and along with the familiar sound of the engine working, it became a lullaby, rocking the rabbit to sleep. He laid on bales of hay—well, rather between them—he had slipped between the cracks of the itchy grain in order to hide from the driver. If that guy knew Oswald was here, he’d probably make him pay, and Oswald didn’t have the money for that. When he finally decided it was time to leave home and head out on his own, he knew he didn’t have much. He left with forty dollars in his pocket, a suitcase full of tools, and the clothes on his back. He hoped this new town, wherever it was destined to be, would be a nice change of scenery from his desolate hometown.
His pleasant slumber was interrupted by the harsh squealing of the truck’s tires. The truck shook as it tried to stop itself, but it instead slammed into the car in front of it. Oswald was thrown from the truck with the hay bales, then landed on the harsh asphalt below. Dirt particles flew into the air, obstructing vision until they settled down only a few moments later. Oswald coughed out the dirt that had unexpectedly made its way into his lungs, turning around to see the damage. The truck owner, an unassuming-looking cow, took his cap off, slamming it into the ground in a fit of rage. “Damn traffic!” he yelled to no one.
There was no need for Oswald to be here anymore, so he grabbed his suitcase—which itself was a little scratched up from the crash—and took off. He didn’t know where to go, but he knew he didn’t need to be here. It wasn't his problem, but good luck to the driver!
Whatever town he had landed in was bustling with energy. People were walking everywhere, sitting at door-side restaurants and conversing on rustic porches. The roads were freshly paved and sidewalks laid; a very uncommon practice back where Oswald was from. It was by no means a city—there were not nearly enough people, and the green blades of grass outnumbered the modest building, but this was much more than the farm Oswald’s father brought him up on.
The rabbit continued moseying through the town, window-shopping and people-watching. There were a few restaurants, new businesses, an old gothic library, and some parks. Passing by a bank, he noticed a ‘Now Hiring!’ sign—the bank owner was hiring limousine drivers to chauffeur him, J.P. Whiskers, and his children, Homer and Sadie Whiskers, around. They must be household names around here because he noticed their names engraved on a sign out front that detailed the history of the Whiskers family and their banking business. More importantly, though, Oswald noticed the pay. The rabbit wasn’t the best driver—crashing his father’s old cars a few times from racing with friends—but for that pay, he definitely could learn how to. He noted it for later, in case he decided this was the town he wanted to move to.
Later on, he discovered a fountain, which he sat down at. It was when he sat down that he saw a cab, and decided if anyone knew this town, it’d be the one that drives around it for a living. He walked over to the cab, and the driver rolled the window down—he was a turtle, who immediately asked, “Can I help you, sir?”
“Yain’t happen to know much ‘bout this town, would cha?”
“Why, of course, I do!
“Would cha mind givin’ me a little tour? It's my first day in this town, and I'd like to see what it's like”
“I wouldn't mind at all sir, hop on in!”
And so Oswald hopped in the back seat, gently setting down his suitcase and leaning back for the ride.
“Is there anywhere, in particular, ya’d like to go? Or would cha just like me to drive?”
“Nah, just go whatever,” Oswald thought for a moment though; was there somewhere he’d actually like to go? “But I’d like to end up at a hotel—the one with the cheapest rate, but isn’t a total wreck.” He would need somewhere to sleep tonight, after all.
“Cheapest rate…” the cab driver pondered to himself, setting the car into drive to start the tour.. “That’d be the Topolinia Hotel. It’s not far from town, it’s a little more on the rural side. But there’s a trolley that goes down there, so ya wouldn’t need to catch a ride all the time.”
“Wow, a trolley?”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” the driver wagged his finger back and forth, “it’s constantly breakin’ down. Maybe it’s cursed, or maybe it’s just that no mechanic cares enough to fix it. They’re all cheapskates away—they’d rather fix it enough for it to break down again and get more pay rather than fix it for the public’s sake.”
“Sounds like a job for me.” Oswald proudly stated, gesturing to his suitcase.
“You’re a mechanic?”
“Yessir. Tried and true. There ain’t nothing I can’t fix, and I ain’t just in it for the money.”
“I’ll have to hire you one of these days, then!” The turtle rubbed the dashboard of the car, “I love this girl, but she needs a little love too. The first mechanic I took her to messed up her engine, and she hasn’t been the same since.”
“Tell-ya-what, if you don’t charge me for the ride, I’ll give her a look for free. And if it ain’t that hard to fix her, I’ll do that for free too. Is that a deal?”
The driver put his hand up for Oswald to see, a pinky out. “Deal.”
Oswald laid his head back, smiling to himself. Not even an hour out here, and he already landed himself an odd job, and some useful information. Though fixing the cab would be free, if he did it right, he was sure that the driver would hire him again. And that trolley that always broke down? He was sure he could fix it, and that could be a high-paying job.
He looked out the window, watching the scenery of the town. There seemed to be more construction sites than buildings. The structures that stood would rapidly change from old-rustic, to falling apart, to completely remodelled. It was clearly an old town, but a lot of effort was being put into fixing it up. Many shops had banners reading ‘Now open’ above the door frame, but still had many customers flocking towards the doors. White sidewalks paired with neatly-trimmed shrubbery followed alongside the road, which itself was mostly paved.
“Looks like there’s a lot of work being done here.”
“Yessir! This place is up-and-coming, big time.”
“Yeah, and there’s even sidewalks n’ paved roads.”
“You don’t have those where you come from?”
“I come from a farmer town,” Oswald stated with a tinge of fluster in his voice. The truth was that he always hated being a farmer boy. He felt humiliated by it, and he was hoping that he could rewrite a new life in the city.
The cab driver brushed off the coldness in Oswald’s voice, “This must be a big change for you then! You’re bound to love it.”
“I hope so. I really do.”
Suddenly, the road changed to a rickety brick bridge, passing over a large, slow-moving river. Just as Oswald was about to ask about it, the cab driver started talking. “This is Mouse River. If you look that way—” The driver stuck his hand out the window, pointing leftwards, “—you’ll see the Pacific Ocean.”
“Really?” Oswald exclaimed, “I’ve never seen an ocean before!”
“It’s quite beautiful. You’re bound to go down there sometime. There’s a sandy beach, a lighthouse, n’ a harbour down there. A lot of us go down there in our off time. And there's a lot of community events down there—maybe you can meet some new friends down there!”
“Perhaps I’ll do that. Why’s it called Mouse River?”
The cab driver hesitated for a few moments. “Uhm…” he trailed off, “well, that’s, that’s because the river starts at a town that’s the scientific name for a mouse. It’s where those science folk came up with the name of a mouse. It’s called moose moose-coal-is.”
“That… doesn’t sound right.”
“Oh no, it’s pronounced that way! I’d know, I’m smart like that.”
Oswald was pretty sure he was lying, but he shrugged it off. “Alright. Sure. I believe ya—" he didn't, "—anyway, what’s the name of this town?” Oswald asked, realising that he didn’t know yet.
“Oh, you haven’t figured it out yet? It’s Silo Center.”
“Silo Center,” Oswald mindlessly repeated, “I think I’ve heard that name before.”
“Really?” The cab driver chuckled to himself, “That’s surprising. We aren’t much of a big town. Though the population has been growing a lot recently.”
Oswald stared out the window, thinking. Where had he heard that name before? “Isn’t there an up-and-coming acting studio out here?”
“Yes!” The cab driver exclaimed, “See, I told you this place is up-and-coming! All the wannabe actors come out here. Cheap rates, great pay.”
“Maybe I’ll look into that, I need a job anyway.”
“Oh, so you wanna be an actor too?”
“Well…” Oswald had always been interested in being an actor, but there was never any chance to do it in the Midwest—where he was from. In fact, there wasn’t much of anything to do at all. Just shuck corn and feed the animals. He and his siblings grew up on an unassuming farm, and the biggest attraction in town was a one-lane dirt airport; the A-line roof leaked, and rocks would fling up from the runway and leave holes in the wings. The most exciting thing was when Oswald’s dad was dropping off some produce in the town-on-over, he ended up finding some scarcely-used camera equipment on the side of the road. It must have rolled off the back of a truck hauling it, so it would be completely lost to the owners. He took it back home, where Oswald and his little brother, Mickey, started using it religiously. Both the young boys dreamed of being an actor, so they started making short films. The small town’s airport, the construction sites of new buildings, and the little train station tended to be their main filming locations.
“...Yeah, I guess you could say I wanna be an actor,” Oswald sheepishly admitted, “I doubt it’ll happen, but it’s just an old dream.”
“Well, maybe that dream will be a reality!” The cab driver looked at him through the rearview mirror, smiling. “A new town brings many new opportunities.”
“Hey, that’s why I’m here. I th—”
“Hold that thought, we’re here.” The car pulled to the side of the road. A humble wooden building stood next to them, one long past its golden age, but was still obviously loved by the owners. The cab driver jumped out of the car, running over to open the door for the rabbit.
“Oh, thank you,” Oswald got out, finally meeting the driver face-to-face. He was a stocky turtle, much smaller than the already small Oswald. Atop his head was a dark-grey taxi cap, paired with his matching outfit; long boots, a large overcoat, and some puffy pants—the normal uniform for taxi drivers nowadays.
“So, what’s your name?”
“Oh, that’s right, I didn’t tell you! My name’s Cliff. Cliff the Cabby.”
“Cliff the Cabby!” Oswald smiled, “I like how that sounds.”
“Thanks!” Cliff rubbed the nape of his neck, “I thought Cliff the Turtle sounded too… not interesting, so I tried to think of a cooler nickname.”
“It works pretty well, I’d say.” Oswald put his hand out for Cliff to shake, “My name’s Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, or just Oswald.” The two shook hands; Oswald was surprised by the firmness of Cliff’s grip—a firm grip is a great sign of respect to Oswald—a trait passed down from his father. His father would always reprimand the rabbit if he didn’t shake someone’s hand upon meeting them, so it just felt wrong to not do it now.
“Nice to meet you, Oswald.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
“Could I walk you to the hotel? I know the owners; maybe I can land you a discount.”
“That’d be real nice. I don’t got much money on me, anyway.”
“How much do you have?”
Oswald hesitated to tell him, but eventually admitted: “Forty.”
“It’s normally two fifty a night. I’ll see if I can get it down to two for ya.”
The two made their way inside the hotel. It was quite cosy; warm-toned browns and tans lined the large room. Paintings strung across the wall, couches beneath them. Upon entering, the reception desk was directly in front of them.
“Hey, Cliff!” the receptionist said from across the room. “How can I help you two?”
“Hey, Toby,” Cliff guided Oswald towards the desk. “This is Oswald, it’s his first day in town.”
“Oh, goody!” Toby put his hand out for Oswald to shake. “My name’s Toby, Toby Bear.”
Oswald happily shook his hand. “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Howdyu two know each other?”
“Everyone knows each other in small towns like this. What brings you to Silo Center?”
“Just lookin’ for a new start.”
“Whatchu’d do? Kill someone?”
Oswald laughed, “Oh, no, no. I’m just finally an adult. Wanna see what life’s like without a parent constantly fluttering around ya.”
“Oh, you’ll love it! So, you want a room, I’m assuming.”
Cliff chimed in, “Yes, he does. And, y’know, since he’s new around here, perhaps you could—”
“Give him a discount?” Toby cut him off. “Sure, how’s one fifty a night sound for ya?”
“Oh, that’d be great!”
“No problem. Just don’t trash the place and we’ll be good.” Toby turned around, grabbing one of the keys from off the wall. “Your room is one-five, it’s just upstairs.” He went to hand the key to Oswald, but was cut short by Cliff putting his hand in front of it.
“Actually, why not give the key to him later? I’d like to show him around town a little more first, if that’s okay with him.”
Oswald shrugged, “Yeah, sure, we can do that.”
“Alright!” Toby put the key back up on the wall, “See you later then, Ozzie boy.”
“It’s Oswald,” the rabbit firmly stated, still cracking a little smile. “See ya.”
Oswald followed Cliff out of the hotel.
“You were so curious about that trolley, that I figured I’d show it to you. It should come down this street soon, assuming it isn’t broken.” They stopped on the pavement, and Cliff pointed out the two tracks of metal that went down the street.
“Where does it go to?”
“Well, it goes all around town, but it ends uphill at the old library and downhill at the studio I was telling you about earlier.”
Silence followed. The two stood around, waiting for the trolley to come by. Oswald glanced over at Cliff, who seemed to be awkward with the lack of noise.
“So, why a cab driver?”
“There’s not many cab drivers around. There's room for the industry to grow,” Cliff simply stated, biting his lip.
“I know that’s not the reason. C’mon, what is it actually?”
Cliff huffed, looking at Oswald sheepishly, “Honestly, I just like cars. I’ve always thought they were kinda cool. And being a cab driver means I get to be in cars all the time.” Cliff looked dreamily off into the sky. “Honestly, though, I’d like to be a race car driver.”
“Really, you? A race car driver? That’s awesome!”
“You think so?” Cliff smiled at the rabbit, “Honestly, everyone thinks it’s kinda lame. They say I don’t fit that kind of lifestyle.”
“Ah, who cares what people say. It’s what matters to you!” Oswald playfully hit Cliff’s arm. “Keep your head up. When you get big, then you’ll be the one laughing!”
“Thanks, Os. You’re awfully nice.”
“Aw, don’t mention it.”
The conversation was cut short by a familiar engine sound, which overpowered the sound of waves hitting the sand nearby. A yellow trolley crested the hilltop, heading down towards the hotel.
“That’s our cue!” Cliff shouted, running towards the street. Oswald didn’t need to ask, he knew exactly what the turtle meant, and ran after him. Cliff jumped onto the bumper of the trolley, grabbing Oswald’s hand to support the rabbit when he jumped on, too.
“So we’re going down to the studio?”
“Yeah, I figured you’d like to see it. Especially if you’re telling the truth about wanting to be an actor.”
“I wouldn’t lie ‘bout that. By the way, I figured I’d ask now. Could ya do a favour for me?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“Could you teach me how to drive?”
“Sure! Why? You wanna get a car?”
“Well, not exactly.” Oswald leaned towards Cliff, softening his voice. “Y’know the Whiskers? They’re hiring a chauffeur.”
“Rea-llly! And you wanna work for them? They aren’t the nicest people in town.”
“Maybe they ain’t. But y’know what they got that I want? Money. And they got lots of it!”
Cliff laughed, “That’s what motivates ya? I figured it’d be Sadie.”
“Whadabout her?
“Everyone in town chases after her! They say she’s the most beautiful cat. Sweet with her words, charismatic, and she’s loaded!”
“Eh, who cares. Besides, I got you anyway.”
“You hav—... What?”
“Oh, nothing,” Oswald brushed it off. “I just want the money. But if I’m driving a beautiful girl around in the backseat, I ain’t complaining. And maybe if you teach me to drive, I’ll give you some of that paycheck.”
“Count me in, then! If you aren’t busy this week, I’ll pick you up whenever. It ain’t too hard to learn the basics.”
“Well, actually, I do know the basics. I’ve driven quite a lot before.” The rabbit put his finger up, “But, I’ve crashed more cars than I’ve driven.”
“Oh, dear! How’d cha manage that?”
Oswald winked at the turtle. “I like drivin’ fast.”
“I think you and I are gonna get along well,” Cliff grinned at Oswald, genuinely happy to see another person enjoy his interest as well.
The rest of the trolley ride was filled with them chattering about their lives. Cliff revealed a lot of insecurities about himself, and everytime that he did, was immediately given advice from Oswald, who had suffered a lot of his own problems growing up. Oswald talked about his own aspirations, and Cliff pointed out that they had a lot of the same ones. They ended the talk with their heads touching, Oswald’s head on top of Cliff’s. It turns out the two of them were quite lonely, and were very quick to get close to their new friend. This is exactly what Oswald wanted to happen when he left home—though, he did not expect it to happen this fast. Nonetheless, it was still a welcome change.
“Alright,” Cliff lifted his head up, “We need to get off soon, otherwise they’ll stop the trolley and notice we’re here.”
The two stumbled off the trolley, which wasn't hard to jump off of due to its slow speed. This side of town was much more rural, and reminded Oswald like his own home. Hilly farmland scattered about, pockets of trees outlining properties. But, what wasn't like home, was the weather. Not a single cloud could be seen in the dark-blue sky, which vibrantly glowed with the sun’s rays. The weather itself was quite warm, but made colder from the ocean breeze, whose smell still lingered around.
“The weather’s beautiful.”
“Sure is. But you’re facing the wrong way.”
“Huh?” Prompted by the comment, Oswald turned around to see a large cement sign, which welcomed its viewers in. This was the filming studio. It was no Hollywood, but it still was quite a sight to see. Centred with the sign was a road that stretched down a awhile before being cut off by trees. Many show buildings with unassuming cement facades sat parallel to each other.
“Ain’t nothing like the town you come from, right?”
“It sure ain't,” Oswald confirmed. A smile had been creeping its way onto his face that he just now realised. He had long given up on his dream of becoming an actor, but standing in front of a filming studio set off a spark in his heart that he didn’t know he had anymore. Having a childhood dream revived so suddenly made his heart race; he put his hand on his chest, feelings how it beat with such determination. He was quite happy that he ended up in this town.
“There’s… really nothing for us to do here, honestly. I just wanted to show you this place. But, there’s something you might be interested in,” Cliff then pointed at one of the many posters lining the wall, one which advertised a twenty-seven-part series that actors were needed for. “Right now, all the buzz has been about this series they wanna work on. I heard Sadie’s gonna come down here for castin’. If you want to be a chauffeur, and also an actor, maybe this is a series you could work on! You could drive her down here, get her money, do the actin’, get their money, then drive her back, and get her money again!”
“What's the criteria?” asked Oswald, genuinely interested.
“Iunno. There’s a bunch of roles, so it just depends on what your personality is. But, the main character,” Cliff gestured to the poster next to the one they were looking at, which detailed the roles that would be available, “they want a guy with personality. Young, smart, adventurous, animated, humourous. Sounds a lot like you.”
“Gotta admit, I think you’re right!" Oswald pushed his shoulders back, attempting to show his confidence, "I’m just the guy they need.”
“Exactly! And they’re doin’ the casting in just a few days. Gives ya time to get ready!”
“I'll come down, give it a shot. But if it ain’t work out, it's whatever. I’ll just be around for the next big role!” Though, admittedly, Oswald would be quite bummed out if he weren’t to get that role.
“I’ll come down with ya. I'm not really interested in the actin' scene, but hey, I’ll be here to support ya.”
“Aw shucks, that’d be awfully sweet of ya. Let’s do that.”
A booming horn started to blare near the street.
“That’s our sign to go. The trolley’s gonna head back up the hill, and if we don’t catch it now, we’ll be walking back to the hotel.”
“Alright, let’s go! Are we actually gonna pay the fare this time?”
“Depends, ya got fifty cents on ya?”
“I got forty and no change.”
“Sounds like you’ll be scrunched over the back while I enjoy a nice, cosy window-seat.” The turtle then pulled a dollar worth of change out of his pocket. “Only kiddin’. It’s on me.”
“You’re payin’ for a lot of stuff today. Am I gonna have to repay you?”
“Nah, it’s on me, really! I don’t mind payin’.”
“Sweet. Since you’re payin’ for so much, why not buy me dinner too?”
Cliff laughed, “Oh, no, I’m not made of money. But if you’re such a smooth talker, I’m sure you can convince Toby to take you out.”
“Maybe I will.” Oswald didn’t want to take advantage of anyone, but admittedly, it was nice to not pay for anything today.
Cliff paid for the toll home; he let Oswald sit at the window seat facing the ocean. The turtle did say there was a lot more on the other side, but he admitted that the ocean was much more intriguing than it all. Cliff confessed that the beach down here was his safe space. Everyone went to the beach up in Silo Center, and not so much the beach down here. He’d just sit around and listen to the waves. Sometimes he’d draw in the sand. One time he brought a toy race car down there, but it ended up floating away in the waves. He always missed that car.
Oswald said his safe space was the old trolley at home. It had been decommissioned for a while, and its final resting place was the warehouse of a long-forgotten factory. No one ever went there except him and his brother. He spent a lot of time trying to fix up the old thing. Sure, it’d never work again, but it gave Oswald a chance to get his hands on something mechanical. Cliff asked what was so intriguing about mechanics; he had never really gotten math. Oswald said that it was just one of the few things in life that just made sense. It had a lot of rigid rules. Oswald understood those rules. He didn’t understand a lot of things because they were too fluid and opinionated; you’d always be wrong in someone else’s mind. But no matter where you went, a machine would always be a machine, hooked up in just about the same way. It was a comforting fact to him.
Cliff asked what made him want to be an actor. Oswald just shrugged. His father is an artist, so Oswald, too, picked up an art form—albeit different from his father’s. Also, acting just made sense. You read the lines on a paper, and you do what they say. That made a lot of sense in his mind also. He thinks that’s why. Cliff asked why he moved away from his family. Oswald said he’d rather not talk about it. The topic wasn't pushed any further.
Cliff asked Oswald what he wanted to do tomorrow. Oswald asked if they could go driving tomorrow; the turtle accepted. The rabbit was excited to start on this new life. He would learn to drive, then apply to be the Whisker’s chauffeur, then go to that new series casting. Maybe he’d make some friends along the way. He wasn’t sure what he’d want to do after that, but it’d be awfully cool if he could make it big. He had always dreamed of being in the limelight. He asked Cliff that if that did happen, would the turtle chauffeur him around too? Cliff said yes. Anything for his new friend. He really liked Oswald, and Oswald really liked him too.
Cheers to chapter one of Oswald’s life in Silo Center. This was bound to be a riveting show for the rabbit and his friends! (Let's hope they don't cancel it :) !)