Twenty five years.

It's been twenty five years since I last saw this place up and running. Twenty five years since I had walked around in its grounds. Twenty five years since I last ate the meals served from here. Twenty five years since I last met a customer in need of gas for the car, food in the belly, or a place to stay for the night.

Twenty five years since Uncle Morris , my mom's older brother, died and his family closed down the place and sold the property.

It took me twenty-five years to finish my remaining 3 years in college, get a job, and save up for this day. Twenty years of mind-numbing and thankless work as a mechanic and technician for the Army. Another year of rebuilding, repairing, and refurbishing the place. I endured it all, just to get this place back into working order once more.

Uncle Morris and my mom were half-siblings. His mother died while giving birth to him. His father, Grandpa Maxwell, married once again. And mom was the result of that union. He was 10 years old when mother was born. He's a great man and a reliable person. He took care of mom when mom got pregnant with me. And he took me and treated me like his own son. Not only that, he also paid for my college education - all from the earning of this quaint little rest stop.

Uncle Morris inherited the rest stop from his maternal grandfather, his only remaining relative on that side of the family. Who passed away when Uncle Morris was just 19 in still in college. What he did is he shifted his major to Hospitality Management, and took over the business after he graduated. The family business is small roadside pit stop along the highway. It has a small gas station with a convenience store, a diner, and a small motel with 10 rooms. Business was good; the only place to gas up and have a decent meal for a hundred miles on either end.

I really hated Aunt Marcella and her insipid brood for selling the place. The place is bustling - business was good, and the earnings are quiet generous. Even mom offered quite a great deal of money to buy the business from her and keep it in the family. But noooooo... she would not hear any of it. She thought she could get a better price than what mom offered. Sure, the place is a prime location, being the only place level with the highway for miles around. No need to build up entry and exit ramp to and from the road. Uncle Morris even got offers to sell the place - really generous generous offers at that. But Uncle Morris didn't budge - he wanted the business to stay in the family. But Aunt Marcella and her spawn didn't want to, selling the place as soon as the will was read.

Not to mention the fact that she sold the place at a lower price than mom offered. Bitch has a vicious gambling addiction, losing most of her money in the casinos she frequented - racking up debts left and right. When Mafioso leg-breakers visited her demanding to pay back the money owed to them, she was forced to sell the place quickly - and at a lower than market price. And by that time, money was tight - Mom's savings all used up to pay the cost of her chemotherapy and hospitalization.

A huge price we paid for nothing.

Dammit... now I'm remembering Mom.The chemotherapy was brutal, her beauty slowly chipped away by the harsh chemicals used. Her vitality slowly sapped by both the cancer and the cure.

Doctors guaranteed she will be cured. What a bunch of quacks... not even worth the paper and ink on their fancy diplomas and licenses.

And now here I am. Taking back the only remaining link we have of our family. Making up for the mistakes that Aunt Marcella committed. Making Uncle proud of his own labor of love being back to business once more.

Fulfilling my mom's last wish. Restoring the place where my mom met my... dad.

I never knew really him. Uncle Morris always avoided discussing about him. And mom never told who he is - or even left clues to his true identity.

And this place... this place was the only reminder of her love for him.

That is why she wants the place to remain in the family. Not only as the last remaining family legacy - but also the last remnant of the one and only person she truly ever loved.

I can't ignore her last wish.

Mom... wherever you may be... I hope you're happy. 

Because 'Mikey's Rest Stop' is now once again open for business.

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Took me an entire year to get this place back up and running. Power, water and gas lines were shot. Cracks on the concrete walls, walkways and parking area. Dust, mold and mildew caked the surfaces and filled the air. Windows and doors shattered and broken, needing replacement. The old asbestos insulation has to be taken out. And the large amount of wild animals and pests living in the premises presented even more problems.

It was really costly and labor-intensive, but it's all worth it.

The rest stop has a spacious parking area - large enough to fit 20 vehicles and 2 full-sized buses. The motel has 10 rooms - two single rooms, four double rooms, two couple rooms, and two group rooms that can hold up to 5 people. All fully air-conditioned, with cable TV and WiFi installed. The gas station has 4 pumps, two diesel and two for gas. Plus an attached convenience store where people can buy things they might need. And the diner is just a simple eatery where they can order breakfast, lunch and dinner 24 hours a day. The motel guests can even order food from here delivered straight to their rooms.

The place should have been open for business now... if I have the personnel now that is.

And right now I have ZERO personnel.

I knew I was forgetting something.

Well... at least the place is already stocked and ready for operation. Gas pumps are full. The motel has all the needed supplies - from cleaning equipment, office supplies, furnishings... everything. Store is also fully stocked, both in the shelves and in the storage. Even the diner's pantry and cold storage is full to the brim with enough foodstuffs to feed a thousand mouths.

Got too enthusiastic about stocking up the place, I admit, and forgot about posting the job ads. Oh well, the renovations just got finished yesterday. I'm not really ready to open the business to customers yet.

But even then, I already have a customer.

An elderly gentleman just appeared out of the blue yesterday. Looks really old- in his seventies if I guess correctly. His face and skin are full of wrinkles and liver spots. His hair and beard a shocking pure white. And those eyes... even if they look in wonder and mirth at his surroundings, is full of past regrets and unforgettable pain. The eyes of a man who had really experienced a lot.

Yet he brings with himself a sense of wonder and innocence I thought no one would ever achieve.

He's also dressed in some really fancy Victorian-Era clothing. Full formal wear and all. He even has the monocle and pocket watch to match the style.

And did I mention he just appeared without warning? One minute I was eating breakfast, the next I was hearing the bell in the reception area. What even more weird is that I didn't see any form of transportation with him. No car or anything. Not even a horse... even if that would fit in with late 1800's fashion he's sporting.

I can't turn him away... he's so nice and jovial. And a really good customer too. He even pays in gold and silver coins, appropriate for his Victorian-Era persona. Also pays in cash and tips really well.

"I must say, my good man, I'm quite delighted with what you've. It's been a long time since I came here. I'm glad the place is back and running... and in very good hands, too."

"You've been here?"

"Yes, my dear boy. Been a customer here since the place first opened. That was almost 75 years ago. I saw this place flourished into a wonderful place by my very eyes. Even seen a lot of relationships bloom in this place. I remember a girl... what was her name again? Oh right... Evangeline. She's always talking to this particular customer. Quite a romantic if I say so myself. And then the girl got pregnant - the father I suspected to be the customer she always talks to. That was the last time I have been to this place. And then I heard the place closed down."

"Hang on... if you were one of the oldest customers of this place, that would make you what... a hundred years old?"

"Hmmm... quite the inquisitive nature - like your mother. Eva... what a lovely girl. Always nice to every customer that comes through here. Shame that her fate turned out to be like that. Cancer - really insidious."

"And yes... I am 'THAT' old. Too powerful that time becomes meaningless to you."

"What are are you talking about?"

And then I felt a sudden pressure on my body, pressing me on all sides. It was not really pain, just very uncomfortable and rather paralyzing.

And then the old man became something else. Something indescribable. Something... ALIEN.

"I am sorry for this, my child. You see... I am not from this world - or from this dimension, for that matter. This world... is just one of vast countless others in the multiverse I have access to. But it still plays a very important part on keeping Existence... well... existing."

"This place... this rest stop... is an anchor point, that held the structure of Existence intact. When this place was closed down, me and my... 'colleagues'... felt the shift in the barrier between Existence and the Void. Time and space became twisted, the boundaries between dimensions became too thin. That would have spelled disaster to the dimensions anchored here... even Existence itself is at risk."

"So when you opened the place once more, We saw an Opportunity. To mend the rifts created in the dimensional boundaries, We must anchor this place to be the nexus point. With it, the rifts would stabilize and the danger of dimensions collapsing and merging will be prevented."

And I believed him. Deep in my heart I believed him. Even how absurd it sounds to everyone else....

I believed him.

Because when I am in this place, I felt the magic in the air.

In this place, I can truly use magic.

"But you already have an inkling of what this place truly is, don't you? The extra-dimensional energies leak to this place, allowing an inquisitive mind like you to become something else the world never had. A real practitioner of the Magical Arts. And a self-taught one at that, too. If only you had the necessary teachers and training, you should have been one of the most powerful magic users that I know of."

"So... I offer you a deal. Let us turn this place into a dimensional nexus, allowing us to stabilize the boundaries between dimensions. In exchange, We will grant you a gift of power and knowledge. We even made the appropriate gift for you."

But there is a catch... right?

"Yes my child... there is a catch."

Wait a minute... are you reading my mind.

"In a manner of speaking... yes. We can read minds if it is warranted. But you thoughts leak freely from you mind. Even without me using my power, I can easily feel your thoughts and read the information in it. Do not worry , the gift We grant you also grants you protection from having your mind by others. Only someone more powerful than our collective will be to pierce those shields and read your thoughts."

Okay... that's comforting. And disturbing at the same time.

"Moving on... the consequence of turning this place into a dimensional nexus is that it will be linked more tightly with the other dimensions. That means that beings from other dimensions can pass through here accidentally. And that is where the second part of our gift comes in handy."

Handy how?

"Why... run the place as intended, of course. Run this place as a rest stop as it was intended to be."

You do know that I'm the only person here right now. I don't have any employees yet. I can't run this place alone.

"We already accounted for that. The gift We offer covers that, too. We know that this will be difficult for you. Being thrust head-first into a situation that you don't have any clue of is quite difficult... and distressing. But We hope that you will accept the offer. That or locking down this place. And We don't want to do that. That tends to create... situations that even We do not ever want to deal with."

How bad those situations can be.

"End of the world."

Fuck.

"Indeed. This is why We prefer this method. This is a difficult task we lay on you, my child. But We don't have a choice. Either We do it this way. Or collapse the anchor point... and your dimension with it."

Between a rock and a hard place, then.

"Not a really analogy for this situation... but yes. Do you accept the deal?"

I don't really have a choice in this matter. So... deal.

But who are you guys? Who is this 'We' you call yourself.

"'We' are the Preservers. When the Creator brought Existence in being, we were created to 'preserve' it. Our task is to maintain Existence and prevent it destruction and return into the Void. Our task even became more vital, ever since the Creator has undergone his Long Sleep. And this why why We are making this with you."

I understand. Okay... what do I need to do.

"Receive our gift. We shall do the rest. And We are sorry for the pain this will cause."

"Wait! What do you mean paAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...!!!"