I remember the exact moment when I decided I had to come here.
It was the beginning of summer. And the weather was still a little bit cool. And I walked along the beach toward the center of town which was about as big as this room. The fog had started to lift and I caught glimpses of sunlight as I pushed my way through the sand toward the town square. There were people there, I could see them. I wanted to know what was happening. I figure it was a parade or an assembly or something. As I got closer I saw them all gathered around something. Something large and black. And the people kept coming. From everywhere in town, out of the woodwork. I was dying to know what it was, I almost broke into a run.
I got to the edge of the crowd, but I had to climb halfway up a streetlight to see what it was.
It was a car. A long black car with windows like mirrors looking out at us all. We all gathered around it like idiots. We had never seen anything like it. So glamorous. It was just parked at the gas station, getting gas. The chauffeur was inside paying, he came out looking like an admiral in his uniform. His glasses reflected like the car did, like they were both part of one machine. He looked around at us all, gaping at him like apes. He tipped his hat to the crowd, gave a small smile, started the car and drove off. It slowly moved along the road like it was a caterpillar. And it stretched out of sight moving towards the big dark shadow of the city that was miles away.
It was decided for me. I had to come here.
