That trolley is our soul.
Even in the dead of winter, that trolley still functions. You can hear it for miles... The bell. It makes one crisp sound and then hits a resounding note that shakes the soul. It's quite a beautiful sound. The trolley is also our technological wonder. Gardenia's contribution to the world. So, why in the world would someone steal a trolley. That trolley is our soul.
As I arrive at the scene of the crime, the question immediately begin to race through my brain. How did someone manage to steal an entire trolley from its tracks? It can't run without a rail to guide it; the trolley is too heavy to be lifted and it would have made some sort of noise if it was forced off. But, it needed to be found soon. That trolley is our soul.
As I investigate the scene further, I realized a truth. There are no other police officers on the scene. No private eyes, no detectives or anything. I follow the rails until I see a set of lines cut out of the earth. They deviated from the normal set of tracks and felt an uneasy excitement. I was going to find the trolley sooner than I thought. That trolley is our soul.
But, as I came upon the end of those lines, I see all the police officers and detectives and such. I wander around them to see what they were looking at and then it hit me like a brick wall. The lines ended where the sea began and no amount of dredging would bring that trolley back. I let out a defeated sigh and so did the town in the years to come. Something about the town was dead inside. And I knew what it was...
After all, that trolley was our soul.
