everyone remembers different things. some remember sirens; others just remember falling. but everyone remembers something, whether they want to or not. everyone in brookstone shares some sort of psychic link. when one of us falls into a coma, we are ''transported'' to this nonexistent town. the town exists to us. but to everyone else, it doesn't. ''a town full of other people in comas just like you? that's ridiculous!'' they'll guffaw if you wake up and tell anyone. so once you're discharged from the hospital, you'll look up the names of the people you met; the people who came and went from brookstone. you'll find news reports, blog posts, and rarely, obituaries - but it'll be enough. you'll print them out and show them to everyone, and they'll just laugh. ''but she was the librarian! i swear!'' you'll cry, but they still won't believe you. but enough about that. our charming town is as comfortable as we can make it and is comparable to a small town. we don't have school or work - everything's just sort of there. we just wait around for something to happen. once someone has spent a year in brookstone, they have a choice - they can take the pill or not. the pill allows us to see how our family and friends are doing, and it also tells us what is happening in the world. some refrain from taking the pill because it is too painful for them. others eagerly await their anniversary each year. after four years, they are presented with a choice. they can return to the land of the living, give up on life completely, or stay in brookstone for another two years before being asked again. not everyone enjoys brookstone. but i suppose it's better than the a l t e r n a t i v e.
