A few nights ago, I boarded a fourteen-hour plane ride to Kyoto, Japan with my family. We had just barely made it to our flight.
“Flight A7, last call,” some exhausted service worker groaned through a microphone, right as we found the entrance.
We walked into the plane, and sat in our seats- rows A44 and B44. My father smiled at me, knowing we had waited for ages to afford this vacation. I saw my younger brother and sister with him on row B, already fast asleep- they had got up early for this, after all.
I remember sitting down at the window seat, watching the sun set through soft clouds and exchange places with the moon, as the plane took off.
Chills went down my spine, as this had been the trip I had yearned to go on for ages.
“Honey,” I felt a light tap in my shoulder. “We should sleep now,” my mother’s sweet voice spoke. “I guess it is better to avoid jet lag..” I admitted, before I closed my eyes.
I woke up to violent shaking. Screaming, I ripped my sleep mask off, and stumbled for my glasses. I almost had a heart attack then and there. My worst fears woke up the worst part of my anxious mind, and I heard a loud noise. Before I could overthink what occurred, I noticed what had actually happened.
I realized it was my family, cheekily laughing at my stupidity, as I had awoken.. at the plane’s naturally bumpy landing.
After sending our packages through an airport delivery service, we spent the day visiting some historic temples, walking through towering forests of bamboo, and eating filling yet cheap foods. We returned to our hotel, and my family passed out on the couch and beds, while I couldn’t sleep for another few hours.
I awoke at 4 AM sharp. I tried to close my eyes. Nothing worked. I wish I just kept trying.
I slowly crept out of the bed.
Putting on some sandals, and whatever clothes I could quietly locate in the dim room we selected for cost, I exited and went to the hall elevator. It was still dark out, but I chose to walk the nearby town street, full of those blinding street lamps that practically simulated daytime anyways.
I came across a rusty, wooden 1-floor store that stood out compared to the towering buildings near it. On the outside, there were these anime characters painted on dirty windows. I couldn’t tell who they were or what they were from- but they seemed to be of a retro style. To my surprise, there were lights on in the store. It was open this early.
I entered, seeing nobody at the desk. Looking around, I tried to use my little bit of japanese skills to translate what items were being sold. I figured this was an antique store, what with all the old-style toys, records, and plushies I came across.
Then I saw it. A weird little gadget. It had a screen, and its backside resembled a cartoony compass, despite the peeling paint. The item was only 200 yen. A little bit of eroded text along the bottom of it read something along the lines of this: “Encounter Finder: Adventure In Your Hand!”
I wanted the item, but I wasn’t about to steal it. I walked up to the desk, ready to search for a bell to ring, when I suddenly saw an older man. Perhaps he had just come out of a bathroom in the back.
He said something like this: “Hello, what can I help you with?” His voice was a bit coarse.. I asked if I could buy the item I had found. “Of course. 200 yen, please?”
I reached into my pocket, but couldn’t find the money.
“I’m so sorry. I must have left my payment at my hotel room. Can you give me a minute to leave, come back, and pay?”
The old man’s face had a subtle grin.
“No.. you can keep it.” He looked a bit different.
“It’s old enough.” His voice sounded clearer.
I thanked him, and left the decaying store.
As I was putting the little antique gadget away, I realized that I had been so sleepy I forgot where my money truly was- in my other pocket, of course.
I looked behind, and was about to walk back to the shop, but I noticed a large convenience store had existed where I thought I had just found it.
Creepy, but maybe I was just.. too sleepy?
I tried walking back to the hotel, but realized I was a bit lost. Noticing the sun beginning to rise, I couldn’t help but take in the moment.
I wasn’t afraid, and I decided perhaps it was time to try the little gadget I bought. I didn’t think it would work, but it somehow turned on.
An arrow on the pixelated screen pointed forward, and under it was a small font: “Adventure 4” I moved the device into a different direction, and the arrow still kept pointing that way.
Naturally, I followed it. I mean, I was already lost.
It led me through a long alley between two towering city buildings, and I walked for a few minutes in other parts of the city.
Finally, the arrow pointed to a clearing of trees: right in front of me, they surrounded a red Torii gate.
I heard a little beep…beep noise from the device. As I got closer to the gate, the beep..beep..beep sound became more constant.
Reluctantly, I walked in, right before the sun had fully risen.
It was a tunnel made up of these red Torii gates. I kept walking, as the spaces between them had begun to hold rays of light with the rising sun.
The gates began to go lower, and the device started to go faster.. beep beep.. beep beep.. beep beep.. and faster. I fell down somewhere.
I realized I had landed into some water on the mysterious path. I looked at the device, noticing that it had stopped beeping. Perhaps its battery had died.
I looked back, and tried to retrace my steps. But I found that the steep drop had become impossible to scale back up. And the space between each gate was too packed to walk through.
Soon, I saw the sun rise and set once more. I hadn’t gotten hungry or thirsty in the weird state I was in- perhaps I was dreaming.
I wish I had been, that is.
After scaling the path for an inconceivable amount of time, I saw a glowing light at the end. Somehow, the device had come back to life, and began to… beep, beep, beep, beep… even faster than before.
What I first saw through the last gate was a brilliant rising sun amidst an ocean, bluer than any body of water I’d ever laid my eyes upon before.
I saw train tracks on the water’s surface, and took off my sandals. Looking to place them where I had just entered, I realized that what was behind me was not a Torii gate, but a boundless sea. There was nobody I could scream to, now.