Beginnings

This is where it began. I had just finished eating lunch.

Lights

I was drawn towards the colored lights and movement of the amusement park.

Tree

I moved past a fake tree.

Elevator

Two ladies with baby carriages were getting onto the elevator, so I joined them.

Second Floor

I pressed the button for the first floor but I got off on the second floor (it called to me). Somebody had left a pacifer by the elevator door.

Down the Stairs

After a short period on the second floor, I went down these stairs.

Amusement

Which lead me into the Mall's amusement park.

Wander

I wandered through the amusement park for a while, past many things that weren't particularly amusing.

Progress

I walked past this amusement in progress.

Rail

And under this amusement, also in progress.

Out

The Mall of America offers only a very few options for which path to take, so it is not surprising that my whim soon led me out of the building into the freezing Minnesota day.

Side

I walked along the outer wall of the Mall. It was very cold.

Ikea

I came around a corner and saw an Ikea in the distance.

Doors

The outer wall of the Mall had many of these doors without handles, offering no access.

Tree

I took shelter in this tree (a real tree this time) but I could not shelter me forever. Where would I go next?

Mall

I look back at the Mall and felt nothing but fear and revulsion. The place repelled me.

Ikea

But the Ikea... The Ikea called out to me.

Road

I crossed the road and climbed down the snowy hill.

Parking lot

Then across the parking lot. I watched my shadow, that stretched out long.

Ikea

What was Ikea like? You know those stories where a man goes under a hill to be with the fairies and they dance and drink and eat all night but he later realizes that the fairies are eating his soul and when he gets out it's a thousand years later and everyone he loves is dead? Ikea was like that. Except without the thousand years passing.

Escalator

I went up the escalator into Ikea.

Escalator

Then up another escalator, passed the daycare for children of a specific size and no shorter or taller. I recalled a China Mieville story about a ball pit at a furniture store. That was a good story.

Top of Escalator

And finally into the fairy kingdom that was the Ikea showroom.

Arrows

There were arrows all over the ground at Ikea which I freely ignored. No swede tells me what to do.

Showroom

All very wonderful, all very magical. But somehow... wrong.

Pencils

I helped myself to free pencil and a free tape measure.

Stove

Here I am, reflected in a stove. Ikea made me happy, but what had I given up for it?

Real World

The real world, a world not constructed by Norweigan marketers, called out to me. I suddenly felt claustrophobic. I had to get out of here.

Stairs

My pace quickened, I searched for an exit. I quickly found these stairs, which led me out.

Down

Down and out, I fled.

Coworkers

With my ability to exit confirmed, I calmed down a little. I wondered at the fact that Ikea calls their employees coworkers. They're no coworkers of mine.

First Floor

I wandered through the first floor. This floor was much less beguiling, so it was calming.

Product

The only product I wanted to find was freedom.

Egress

I escaped, happy to still be possession of my soul.

String

I went down to the ground level of the parking lot. There had some string for my convenience, so I took some. I tied it around my Ikea pencil.

Road

Past the parking lot, I hit a busy road. Nothing particularly called to me, so I wandered along the road.

More road

I walked more and still nothing called to me. I relaxed and let the geography call to me.

Up

Suddenly, something called to me! I veered right, up a small hill.

Behind Ikea

I climbed over a small wall and found myself at the Ikea loading dock.

End

I walked to the end of the dock.

Over

Looking over the edge, I saw there was no way to continue in this direction.

Back

With no place else to go, I headed down the ramp.

Down

I veered right again and scrambled down this snow bank.

Parking Lot

This left me back in the parking lot.

Shopping Cart

This shopping cart called to me, but when I got to it it had nothing to tell me.

School Bus

I left the roofed parking lot and wandered into this vast, empty, other parking lot nearby. The school bus looked lonely but I didn't care. Screw you school bus.

Distance

This building called to me from the distance. "Come to me" it called. "Come to me."

Mall

But the Mall of America, sitting sinister on the horizon, called to me as well. And I could not resist it's call, no matter how much I wanted too. It was not a thing I could deny.

Snow

I climbed over a pile of snow and continued towards the Mall.

Desire

I wanted to go to the glass building in the distance, but I wasn't to be. I reached fruitlessly towards that which I could never have.

Sky

I half crossed the street and looked out at the darkening sky.

Sears

And back I went, back into the Mall.

Hall

Back within the Mall, I wandered down through Sears.

Exit

Once in the Sears, I was drawn towards the doors, drawn back out of the mall again.

Escalator

But I had taken only a few steps towards the doors before I snapped back and pulled up the Escalator.

Out

I took the escalator up to the second floor and then out into the mall.

More Escalator.

Up yet another Escalator I went, to the third floor

Out

And then out of the mall

Parking Lot

Into the five story parking lot. I climbed the stairs, going up and up

Roof

Until I came upon the snow covered fifth level. It was bleak and desolate.

Looking out

I walked to the far edge of the lot and looked out over the area. It was cold and snowy.

Around

I turned around and looked over the parking lot.

Garage

I left the stairs and wandered into the yellow lights of the garage.

Ramp

I walked alongside the parking ramp, moving against the traffic as I went.

Ramp

Following the ramp led me further down and towards the outside of the garage.

Outside

Soon I was back outside, once again exposed to the elements.

Underground

Eager to get out from under the sky, I went down more into the bowels below the mall.

Lot

I wandered out from the stairs and meandered near where the buses stopped.

Follow

But I was drawn away from that place and along the road again.

Parking Lot

I soon found myself in another parking lot, this one under the mall, mostly abandoned. It was very quiet.

In

I saw trucks, a loading dock. Perhaps more adventure lay within that place but I stayed away. It felt wrong.

Out

Instead I left the garage. I had had enough garage for now.

Street

Instead I moved out into the street, walking along the snow covered sidewalk.

Blinking

I crossed the street and came across this thing. Strange.

I double back, headed in the direction I had come, although now I has on the other side of the street.

House

And then moved away from the street, into the side street and parking lot for the hotel and the nearby restaurants.

IHOP

I came across an IHOP.

Pancakes

So I went inside, an got some pancakes. And that was the end of that.