More than words – The Voice of There

Field of Drains

August 31, 2004

by Rose_Blossom

(The following is a dramatization. Some of the names were withheld in the interview to protect the innocent.)

Tat started that day just like any other day, doing the best she could to make life in There a little more pleasurable for another Noob. Suddenly, as if someone were whispering into her ear from over her shoulder, a voice said to her, “If you seek it, it will be There!” “Huh?” Tat spun around, “what was that?” She listened. There was no sound but for the wind in the trees. Shrugging her shoulders, she continued her business.

A few moments later…there it was again! “If you seek it, it will be There!” Tat scratched her head, “Did you hear that?” she asked the Noob, anxiously awaiting his free gift.

“Hear what?”

“That voice,” she said.

“I didn’t hear anything. Can I have a board?” She loaned the avie a board, and he ran off satisfied. Tat again looked around for someone needing assistance.

“IF YOU SEEK IT, IT WILL BE THERE!!!”

Without further hesitation, Tat pulled her buggy out of inventory and leaped in, speeding off in the direction west of Congrejo, between the Tikis and the new islands of New Kansas and Comet Island. Having no idea what she was looking for, or why, she simply pressed her pedal to the metal and let her instincts guide her.

What she found would forever change her life in There as she knew it.

Tat agreed to talk with me, expressing the desire to remain unobtrusive, but she realized that this was an important find and wanted to give it to her community. I was WAY more than curious about how she decided to search for the drain, and, more important, why.

Rose_Blossom: I read on the forums that the infamous drain was your discovery! Is that true?

Tat: Yes it is

Rose_Blossom: What day and time was that...approximately

Tat: It was Friday night, Saturday morning eastern time. I really didn't note the time.

Rose_Blossom: When you spotted it last night...you were all alone?

Tat: Yes. I had been searching by myself.

Rose_Blossom: You knew about it?

Tat: Yes. I had a very good suspicion it was here somewhere

Rose_Blossom: How did you get that suspicion?

Tat: Friday earlier I had run into an old friend in here. They had asked me if the drain was added in the update. I said ‘a drain??’ They said it had been the last thing they had done before they left (There), and hoped it was included.

Rose_Blossom: So...how did you go about searching?...did you have an idea which direction?

Tat: They had given me a general location. But they weren't sure where it was but had an idea of the area. It was still a huge area to look in. I had to look between Congrejo and Tyr which is a vast expanse. So I used my GPS and followed a Y coordinate east and west. Then when I reached one side I would change the Y coordinate and travel across the ocean again. Back and forth. It was tedious. I had to keep looking at the screen so as not to fly past the drain. I had no idea what it looked like or the size.

Rose_Blossom: What kind of vehicle were you in?

Tat: I tried all I had. The hoverboat went about 100kph. I thought I had to go faster to cover all that ground. Then I thought the buggy was faster which it was… much faster. But then I thought, ‘what if the object doesn't load graphically and I go right past it?’

Rose_Blossom: Good thought !

Tat: So I figured I had to go slower. I got on my hoverbike which went about 80-90. The scooter would have been the slowest, but I think too slow. I was not enjoying the trip. Over a day and a half. I spent 8 hours looking for the drain.

Rose_Blossom: Oh my! That long!

Tat: Yes! Of course I stopped now and then for a break and something to eat. And rest my eyes. But I was determined to find it. I didn't even know if it was here at all, so I may have searched in vain. Luckily it was not.

Rose_Blossom: What was it like when you saw it for the first time?...was it far away?...or did you just stumble on it?

Tat: Well, I didn't see it right away. I had slammed into a no-vehicle zone out in the middle of nowhere! I said to myself ‘what the heck is this out here for?’ It was NOWHERE! I went on foot a ways and spotted the drain plug first. The big red plug. I was like ‘WOW IT'S HERE!!!’ Was very exciting.

Rose_Blossom: I can imagine! Is that when you posted to the forums?

Tat: I took a couple pictures of myself in front of it. And I sent an email to the creator saying it was here and how cool it was. Then I posted (in the forums). Then of course tons of people showed up.

Rose_Blossom: There’s a constant crowd there now...did you tell your friend that?

Tat: Yes. I sent photos to them. They were quite happy about it.

Rose_Blossom: That's great!

Tat: So, all in all, yes, I did find it. But yes, I did have some help.

Tat has been a community member of There since October of 2001! Her original interests centered mostly in board racing, and in fact, she is a member of several board-racing clubs, including There Professional Hoverboard Racers. She feels, however, that since the development of the “trick” boards, that racing, as she knew it, and loved it, has become all but extinct. “During that time (that the boards changed), all the racers stopped,” Tat said, “I don't even see any of them in the world anymore.” I detected a note of sadness in her voice as she told me this.

Possibly the oldest, non-staff avie in There, Tat now spends most of her time giving back to the community, helping the Noobs adjust to their surroundings.

Much like the hero of “Field of Dreams” (one of my faves!), Tat was determined to prove to everyone, once and for all, that her “voice” was not just in her head, and that her discovery would be for the better purpose of all who lived in There.

Thank you, Tat.