Chapter 3

The rain slowed down when they arrived at a small town that looked like a cozy place to stay for the night. It was 10:10 pm when they took the last few steps to the community's entrance. The orange lights shining the beautifully polished sign with hand-painted cursive letters spelling out: Welcome to Withering Heights.

Behind the sign was a large stone wall with the fresh rainwater spilling down to make it slick to the touch. The shine from the lights around the wall reflected off of the water and shined to show how glamorous the rain looked with the light on each drop. Between each of the stone walls was an iron gate with the letters W and H on each of the doors. Inside the gated community was a suburban-esque neighborhood the looked as if it continued on for five more miles forward. Each of the houses looked the same with stainless white Slatwall above and grey faux stone panels on the lower sections on the exterior walls. The roofs were dark and looked freshly put with the remaining rain sliding into the rain gutter and down the dropspout that forced the water into a drain that goes into a sewer beyond the house's yards. The streetlights that reminded Chad of the lamppost from Narnia stood sturdy on the edge of the yards in front of every house is the LED lightbulbs lit the streets for the late-night hours if the town. What topped off the view of the magnificent community were the neon-colored vehicles that looked as if the townsfolk still dwelled in the 1950s.

After seeing the community for quite some time, Chad looked around the gate to find a keyboard to buzz themselves inside. Having no luck, he shook the gate, releasing a loud clank from the iron bars. "Hello?" He called. "Is anyone there?"

At first, there was no response until one of the house's front door opened to reveal a man who looked to be in his early fifties, with a long grey beard and round belly. He walked to the three on the other side of the gate with a smile across his face. "Good evening, " He started. "Welcome to Withering Heights, the biggest little town in the state. How may I be of assistance?"

"We need to get inside." Chad answered. "Our car's tires were slashed two miles down the road. Do you have a phone we could use to call for a tow?"

"My dear, " The man gasped, with the smile still on his face. "How terrible, but luckily, we have enough room and clothing for you and your family to stay the night." The man opened the gate, letting the family inside. "Come in."

After going inside the gate, the man shut the creaky entrance and turned back to the family. "You say all four tires were slashed?"

"Yes, " Stacy answered before Chad could. "My husband got lost and all four of our tires were slashed before it started raining."

"I didn't mean to get lost, Stace." Chad told her.

"Well, you got us lost." She responded, clapping sarcastically. "Good job."

"Hold on, " The man waved his hands. "There is no need to accuse anyone of anything. You are in Withering Heights now, and our most important rule is to 'To always be happy, even in the worst of times.' That means that when you are ever angry at another person, Don't bother. Just be happy while life sorts the problem out."

"Stay happy?" Chad asked, confused. "That's seriously a rule?"

"If you do not follow it, You will be punished for your disobedient and lacking behavior."

Chad, as shocked as he was, just followed along, smiling with Stacy and Ann who was doing the same thing. After the man nodded, he motioned them to follow. They walked to a house that had a nice decor with blue and black being the main colors inside. After letting them in, the man bowed and shut the door behind him.

"How strange, " Stacy sighed. "Always be happy no matter what happens?"

"You read my mind." Chad replied. "I need to look for a phone."

After looking around the house, he found a wall phone and put in the phone number for a tow company he knew. It rang twice before halting and having a male voice speak.

"Hello, My name is Gideon Gloom. I apologize for the inconvenience, but we are not accepting calls outside the town for specific reasons. If you have a situation, you can contact the town center for anything. Remember, don't go out after midnight and always be happy. Thanks and have a nice day."