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Deafening ferocious roars were swept along by vigorous gusts of wind that seemed to tear up the ground below; the deep blue skies seem a distant memory. Plummeting down, building up incredible pace, getting faster, faster still, the earth being thrust closer, speed quickening, the danger, the exhilaration, a blur of emotions. Safety.
'We would like to thank you for flying with us today; we have now safely landed in John F Kennedy Airport, in the United States of America, it is currently 25˚C and a beautifully sunny day, please remain seated until the seat belt sign has been turned off. Once again, thank you.' An almost robotic voice reeled off information, yet to one passenger this was meaningless.
A light breeze cooled the necks of the weary tourists that trudged happily through the city endlessly; the sun was glistening in the scarlet sky and was beginning to slip behind the satin clouds. A man whose face was dominated by thick black glasses was waving a red flag above his head, and soon a large group of people gathered around him; cameras hanging round their necks, intently reading pocket size books, eager to gain more information and huge rucksacks hanging on their backs, yet soon enough they departed into a large mini-bus.
Mai Yasu tucked the postcards into the small satchel which hung loosely round her neck, whilst glancing at the simple leather strapped watch that was tightly bound round her wrist, 6 o'clock. Realising the time she broke into a hurried walk which was difficult in her restricting long skirt and sandals; however she quickly arrived at the meeting point, she scanned the area for the man with the red flag: but he was gone. Unknown faces looked at her as they passed by; glaring, staring. Mai watched for the right person, someone friendly, she spotted a man, slumped on a bench reading a newspaper, she began to explain her problem but his face creased in puzzlement.
As Mai wandered endlessly through the maze of skyscrapers which towered menacingly above her like trees in a wood, trees, her home had a wood nearby, she remembered home, her dear mother, she felt a sense of belonging back home, but here, here was different, here she felt so very... Alone. She was alone.
Light. Daylight streamed through her sleeping eyes, beaming so bright it was almost painful, but Mai was happy, the sun warming her cheeks and the sweet smell of freshly made bagels wafted through the air, as if to tease those who were hungry, enticing you inside. Abruptly, her eyes snapped open, forcing her to plummet to reality. She tried to sit up but immediately her body was injected with excruciating pain, forcing her to fall back onto the concrete pavement below. As she lay motionless she attempted to collect her thoughts and memories but her head was still spinning rapidly like a waltzer.
Time swept by as seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours, as day went on the streets filled with people, all in the city for different reasons, a model, a writer, a director, an office worker, an accountant... All in a hurry to somewhere or other, no one thought to help the women lying helplessly on the pavement, their designer shoes just marched past, looking down in a rather superior manner. 45 Minutes
As the day went by Mai managed to regain her strength, and finally she used the edge of a nearby bin to prop herself up. Dusting off the dirt and grime from her trousers, she brushed her hand past her pocket. Empty. Instantaneously she felt her wrist. Gone. She felt for the Japanese symbol engraved with her name that she wore around her neck. Vanished. Panic. Soon her heart was beating faster than ever as if it were leaping right out of her lungs, her head was spinning, she bent down and started scrambling around on the pavement, trying to convince herself that this was not reality. Her eyes snapped shut, this is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening. This was happening.
'Excuse me, are you OK?' A voice from far above, far away, Mai couldn't understand a word that the voice was saying, but its tone was comforting, it sounded kind and welcoming. Mai peered up and saw a man who looked warm and trustworthy, she smiled briefly, and for the first time since she arrived she felt a glimmer of hope, of happiness. He spoke again, his tone calm and soft, 'Do you need some help?' Mai felt safe with this man, though his words were meaningless, she just nodded.
Soon Mai was sitting in a hard plastic chair, which was nearly as uncomfortable as the pavement! The kind man had taken her here, but she just wasn't sure why. Across the desk a man was talking to her in a rather boring monotone voice, which she couldn't understand and really didn't want to, his hair was tightly combed back and his face was expressionless. 'What is your n-a-m-e? We are a tour-ist off-ice' He spoke patronisingly slowly and separated the words in an attempt to make her understand.
After several minutes, Mai abruptly stood up and trudged wearily out of the stuffy room. She felt the cool breeze blow through her hair, and the gentle sun tickling her cheeks. She looked around and once again saw the beautiful buildings stretch endlessly into the sky like trees in a wood fighting for sun light, this city was like a wood, full of scurrying people, and trees, everlasting trees. The last time when she thought of woods she was miserable and alone; yet now she felt unstoppable, amazing, and free. Free from worries, free from stress, free from the things that held her back. In the past few days she had been stripped of belongings, left to sleep on the streets, and unable to speak to anyone who would understand. Somehow this was the best walk in the woods, she had ever had. Before she knew it, Mai was climbing the tallest tree in the wood, higher; soon she was at the top: the top of the empire state building. She marvelled at the breath taking views, she gazed at the beautiful architecture, she watched the people panic below whilst she was here in her own world.
As she began to turn away, something caught her eye, something she recognised, a symbol of hope- a red flag.