Danielle woke up in the morning just inches from the edge of her hotel bed with her arm hanging limply over the side. She must have been moving around in her sleep again. She rolled over onto her back and sat up, reaching her arms over her head in a luxurious stretch. Even though it was a cheap room, this place had wonderfully comfortable mattresses. Danny usually slept poorly on her first night in a new town, but she hadn’t even woken up once during the moonlight hours. It was too bad she was only passing through the town of Terry. She wished all the hotels she would be staying in had beds like these.

Danny threw off her sheets and climbed out of the bed. She had heard that this place served free breakfast, and she didn’t want to be late. She changed into a comfy pair of sweat pants and a black tank top, and then twisted her wild red hair up into a messy bun on top of her head. Lastly, she slipped a pair of loafers onto her feet and headed down to the front lobby where the food was being served. No point in getting fancied up for a plate of bacon and eggs.

There weren’t very many people in the breakfast line, so Danny got and finished her meal quickly. Afterwards, she headed back up to her room and changed into some more publicly-acceptable clothes. She let hair fall freely over her shoulders and put on a pair of blue jeans and high-tops. Before leaving Terry town, she wanted to do a little exploring. Maybe she could even find a good spot to make some money on the street with her ukulele.

With that in mind, Danny set out to walk around and poke her head in the little shops that lined the roads. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, but she couldn’t help but notice the somber mood of the locals. They all looked tired or depressed. She wondered why. The town seemed so peaceful and pleasant. Perhaps they had lived there long enough that they were growing numb to its charm? Danny decided to try and lighten the mood by performing for the people. She found a shady spot beneath a tree in a crowded shopping center and brought her ukulele out from its case. A couple of people turned to watch her in curiosity, like they had never seen a street performer before. But then again, maybe they hadn’t.

Danny set the open case out beside her and tossed a few of her own coins inside to give her audience a hint. She strummed the nylon strings to make sure her instrument was tuned, and then began to play a song. When she started to sing, a few passerbys stopped to listen. By the time Danny finished her first song, a small crowd had gathered. They clapped politely and some put money in her ukulele case.

After about an hour, she felt like she had made a decent amount of cash, so she put her instrument away and went back to her hotel room to pack her things. As much as she liked the atmosphere of the little town, she had to move on. She still had plenty of ground to cover before she reached the east coast.

Danny filled her suitcase and brought it out to her car, loading it into the trunk. She climbed into the driver’s seat and took off down the narrow road leading out of Terry town. She looked in the rearview mirror to get one final glimpse of the town. When she did, her heart skipped a beat. For a second, it looked like there was someone sitting in her back seat. When she blinked, the figure disappeared, but her heart still raced in shock. She turned her eyes back to the road and shook her head. It must have been her imagination.

She turned on the radio to distract herself from the strange apparition and continued to drive down the street. Soon, the buildings outside gave way to trees as she entered the surrounding forest… but then the trees gave way to more buildings. Danny frowned. This was odd. The nearest city was many miles away, so she shouldn’t have seen buildings again for at least a half an hour. She narrowed her eyes to read a sign on the side of the road: [b]WELCOME TO TERRY TOWN[/b]. This was even more unusual. Danny was sure she hadn’t made any turns when she left. The road was as straight as an arrow. Maybe it curved at some point and she just hadn’t noticed?

Danny turned her car around and tried to head out in the opposite direction. She definitely remembered coming into the town from this street the day before. She probably just missed the exit while she was distracted by the music on the radio. But after a while, she saw the sign again with its now-ominous writing: [b]WELCOME TO TERRY TOWN[/b]. Okay, this was getting weird.

Danny drove back into the town and tried a different street, but she continued to return as faithfully as a boomerang. After the fourth dead end, she was feeling slightly unnerved. After the seventh, she was thoroughly freaked out. Locals with grim faces watched her circle helplessly. Danny avoided their sullen gazes. Now she was certain: Something was definitely wrong with this place.

--

Danny crawled out of bed and headed down to breakfast with her red hair and over-sized clothes disheveled. She yawned tiredly as she walked down the stairs to the front lobby for breakfast. It had been three days since she arrived in this godforsaken town, and the stress of it all was wearing her out. She tried calling one of her friends for help yesterday, but there was no cellphone reception anywhere. She was beginning to think that she would be trapped here forever.

After breakfast, Danny cleaned herself up and headed out the shopping center with her ukulele again. She knew she should probably start thinking about getting a job, but she if she starting working permanently in the town that would make her situation feel too real. She wanted to cling to the hope that she could get out of here somehow. And so, she continued to earn money with music.

Danny settled down beneath the tree and set her ukulele case out like she had on her first day in Terry. A small crowd had already gathered nearby to watch her perform. In the three days she had been here, it seemed like she had already earned a reputation. Well, it wasn’t a bad thing. She needed as much money as she could get, and if the locals were willing to pay her, she wasn’t going to complain.

Danny quickly tuned her ukulele and began to play her first [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCt-wDIdaAc]song[/url]:

[b][i]Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
Now I'm trying to get back

Before the cool dawn run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's gonna stop me but divine intervention.
I reckon, it's again my turn
To win some or learn some.

But I won't hesitate
No more, no more.
It cannot wait,
I'm yours.

Well, open up your mind and see like me,
Open up your plans and damn you're free.
Look into your heart and you'll find love, love, love, love.
Listen to the music of the moment, people dance and sing, we're just one big family
And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved, loved, loved, loved, loved

So I won't hesitate
No more, no more.
It cannot wait,
I'm sure.
There's no need to complicate.
Our time is short.
This is our fate,
I'm yours.

I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and I laughed.

I guess what I'll be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons.
It's what we aim to do.
Our name is our virtue.

But I won't hesitate
No more, no more.
It cannot wait,
I'm yours.[/i][/b]