You gallop down the road towards the nearest town, your eyes scanning frantically for a manhole cover. Suddenly you spot one, heft it over your head, and fling it off into a ditch. You jump down the hole. Once inside you hitch up your belt and begin walking down the tunnel. You travel for what seems like hours, whistling contentedly as you slosh through goop. Turning a corner you come to a small metal grate. In front of it, a heavyset mutant guard sits reading the newspaper with his feet on a desk. You approach cautiously, clearing your throat.
“Um, excuse me but is this the door to the mutant colony?” you inquire timidly.
“Waterpark.” The guard gurgles without looking up.
“Waterpark?” Your heart jumps, “You mutants have an underground
waterpark!?”
“Yeap.” Says the guard, turning a page.
“D–d-d-do you think it would be possible…I mean..if at all…if…what I mean is…do you think…I could…go in?” You grimace, gritting your teeth.
The guard shakes his head and gestures towards a small sign you hadn’t noticed before:
Mutants Only.
You stand for a moment staring at the sign, and then quickly turn back the way you came. From through the grate behind you comes the sounds of splashing and happy mutant laughter. Tears well up in your eyes and the world begins to blur. You walk until you can’t walk anymore and splash down in the center of the tunnel, putting your head in your hands. You feel sadder than you ever remember feeling in your life. In time you drift off into a cold and restless sleep, your face wet with tears.
In your dreams you sit at the edge of a crystal clear ocean, wrapped in a soft white robe. You smile contentedly as you gaze out over the shimmering waves, where radiant mutant children churn and splash amongst cool waters.