Stuck in the Happiest Place on Earth

28: MotorMania (Mr. Toad's)

The stately Toad Hall sat basking in all its glory upon the bank of the river. The water flowed serenely by, politely withholding all sounds so as not to break the peace. The bricks of Toad Hall glistened in the fading sunlight and its many chimneys stood tall and proud, waiting to smoke with the excess warmth of a fire. The calm, picturesque evening was just beginning to grow the slightest bit dark, gradually closing an uneventful yet fulfilling day. It was then, when the first sliver of the sun ducked under the hill that the minatory, destructive noise, the revving of a motorcar, ripped the silence to shreds.

This red little motorcar sputtered down the road raising so much dirt up it was difficult to see at all. The car's whole engine rattled and the car backfired in loud snaps several times a minute. Its horn, a harsh beeping alert, went off in a series of honks, even though there was nothing obstructing its driving in the least. For a small thing, the vehicle sped rapidly, followed by the trail of plumes it left in its wake.

The motorcar streaked down the windy path giving little care about any driving laws. At one point or another it would travel so quickly, turning around a bend that only two wheels touched the ground instead of four. A strident screeching was let out when the motorcar skidded in the mud for but a moment. Then it streaked off again, barreling right toward the resplendent doors of Toad Hall. Quiet and tall the manor sat when the unruly motorcar burst uninvited into it.

There came many unfortunate sounds of glass breaking and astounded exclamations from others within the hall that witnessed the rampages of the red car. More horrid screeches were made due to the floor being a sleek, slippery marble that made not skidding near impossible. From outside not much was seen except for a streak of red here and there in the wide glass windows. With all the commotion going on inside that one house on the bank, movement ceased to exist outside.

The river stopped flowing to catch a glimpse of the spectacle in that old grand building. All the animals along the bank perked up their ears and had their heads turned to the side to hear what little things were audible. Even the sun, who had previously been eager to rest, stood halfway behind the hill and half still out, wanting to see all from above.

Eventually more was heard and seen. The crash of a toppled bookcase, the clattering of a metal suit of armor falling, and finally, the sight of that fiery red motorcar smashing through the giant front window of Toad Hall and taking off again down the road. The two passengers of the car seemed quite insane to the bystanders, but anyone can do anything with Motormania.

So as that car barreled off into the distance everything began to return to normal. The sun started to set again, the river flowed quietly, the animals continued their daily habits and Toad Hall stood calmly but not quite proudly with a wrecked inside and glass still falling from the grand window's frame on the bank.

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Quinn had seen several different parts of the massive building the company owned but this room was different. It was mostly empty, a cleaned out office perhaps, but certain things suggested it had been something else a regular office building wouldn't have. First of all the only small window it had was barred but the glass was shattered. The floor was a cold metal slab with no carpeting, the wall had remnants of some sort of chain on the wall. If she wasn't mistaken this room had once been a jail cell if not also a torture chamber.

This conclusion didn't freak her out more than she already was. She knew what the company did and was as prepared as one could be for anything when she was captured. So far she had survived and worried more about Kenton than herself at times. Left on her own, although locked in a room, was alright and it was only with others present that she need be stressed.