The Agency

You are scurrying down the street on your way to tackle yet another tedious errand from your endless “to-do” list when a poster in one of the storefronts happens to catch your eye.

You’re not sure why the poster caught your attention, you’ve been out to the Deadend Dunes so many times before. Still, you felt a strong impulse to stop. You lean in to peer through the window and see someone at their desk talking on the phone. They are mindlessly swivelling their chair side-to-side with their feet while twirling the phone cord around their finger. The next time they swivel in your direction, they spot you and wave you inside.

“Uh, okay,” you mumble. “It has been forever since I took a trip anywhere. Maybe they can give me more details that might entice me to go.” You push your way in the front door.

The smell of musty paper permeates the dingy office. While you impatiently wait for the agent to finish their call, you peruse the brochure rack and pick up a copy of the Lifeless Desert Region Guide and Map. Though you don’t know why you bother, you’ve seen it all before. But then you hear the agent mentioning something you haven’t heard much about before. You perk up, but only snippets of the conversation reach your ears:

“...uncharted territory...” “...exciting new realm...” “...one-way ticket...”

Finally, the agent hangs up, turns to you and asks, “What can I help you with today?”

“What was that you were just talking about?” you inquire.

“Oh, that,” they brush it off. “That was nothing. Just some person who was curious about the Gate at the Crossroads. Every now and then some bored worker gets fed up with the Lifeless Desert and gets it in their head they want to travel “beyond the Gate”. I humour them, but I don’t recommend it as all who travel beyond the gate are never to be seen in these parts again.”

“Is it that risky?” you ask.

“Only those who make the journey can tell you that,” they reply. “If you want to play it safe, I think you are much better off visiting the Deadend Dunes. At least from there, people have been known to return.”