Chapter 5
New City Emma
Our new acquaintance Mr Maxi led us out of the maze of hall ways of the abandoned subway.
There was only one problem when we got out.
Everyone was staring at us. Well, they were staring at Jack in shock and everyone looked just a little terrified.
“You’d think these people had never seen a skeleton before.” Said Jack.
“Well, they wont have. This isn’t Halloween Town Jack.
Everyone here is…well, normal.” I explained.
“Define ‘normal’.”
“Human. And not dead people, or elves, or animals. These are real people.”
I then began thinking about what I was saying and comparing it to a few other things.
“This place is…it’s normal. It’s just like home.” I began.
“You mean Earth?” Said Jack.
“No, I mean…New York.”
I gazed up at all the tall buildings surrounding us as we walked.
“It’s like New York.” I repeated in my sudden realization and my sudden amazement.
“How much further, Mr Maxi?” Benjamin Asked.
“Just round this corner here. And across Middle-Field park.” Mr Maxi explained.
“Middle-Field park?” I suddenly became even more amazed by that name.
“Yeah, it is the biggest park in the city. If you is coming a cross a park and you has to ask ‘Is this Middle-Field park?’…You is not there yet.” Mr Maxi chuckled.
That name ‘Middle-Field park’…well, it almost sounded like ‘Central park’. I could hardly believe it.
I honestly couldn’t when we turned the corner…
“Well, there it is.” Said Mr Maxi as he led us round the corner.
We all followed round the side of the building as we came to the bottom of the park.
I was stunned…
“Oh my god…” I was absolutely astonished.
“Chor!” Cried Benjamin.
“Gosh, if that ain’t the tallest skyscraper I ever did see.” Said Benny Bear.
Standing at the other end of this green the size of Central Park was… Well, how could I describe it…?
It must have been one-hundred and twenty stories at LEAST!
The first ten stories were wider in width and length. The next one-hundred or so were straight up.
Then next to the top the windows curved for the next five stories until they met and then there was this massive scraper, it must have been about forty meters tall!
The windows were all shiny!
On the right side of the building there was an outside lift going up to the last floor before the building started to curve!
And on the four corners of the bottom ten stories there were flag poles. And the flags all had the picture of a present. The same symbol that was on the train.
“Emma, are you day dreaming?”
Jack snapped me out of my confusion.
“What?” I shook my head. “Oh, sorry.”
“Is it the building you was looking at?” Asked Mr Maxi.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“That be where the President works. Right at the top where the glass is all round.”
“The pwesent!” Cried Benjamin. “Can I open it? I love pwesents!”
“No, Benjamin. He said ‘Pre-si-dent’.” Sarmoo then puzzled on the word itself. “What IS a President?”
“You is not knowing what a President is?” Said Mr Maxi.
“Sarmoo and Benjamin are from worlds which don’t have a President.” I explained. “For instance, Benjamin comes from a kingdom. The United Kingdom. He has a King or Queen.”
“That’s right. King George.” Said Benjamin.
“Our country isn’t run by anyone, unfortunately.” Said Sarmoo.
“And I,” Jack began as he spoke proudly. “I am a king myself.”
“Yes, yes. The twins told us so.” Said Mr Maxi.
“Really? How did they know that?” Asked Jack.
“They is telepathic twins. You shall see when we met them.”
So, Mr Maxi continued leading us through Middle-Field Park and onto the official skyscraper of Independence City.
We arrived in the reception area.
There were people sat on chairs, waiting and chatting and dressing in their finest business clothes.
There was a desk in front of us that reached the wall behind, and trust me, the desk and everything behind it was huge. There was even a staircase in the massive area behind the desk. The staircase was behind the glass panes at the back of the reception area.
Two ladies were on the phone behind the reception desk. Yapping on about: ‘Sucha-sucha person isn’t available’, and ‘Which floor would you like to be put through to?’, and ‘Board Room meeting is being held at 4:30’. Stuff like that.
I then noticed Jack looking a little uncertain. (Well, he was a talking skeleton walking through their reception).
“Emma, why are people staring at us?” He asked a little nervously.
“You’re not scared are you, great Pumpkin King?” I laughed.
“Hey, these fellas are acting like they’ve never seen children before. Or a skeleton, either.”
“Well, they won’t have seen a skeleton before. You’re not in Halloween Town anymore, Jack.”
Mr Maxi came to the reception desk as I talked with Jack.
“Err-hem.” He cleared his throat loud and clear to get the reception lady’s attention.
The reception lady continued typing on the computer and didn’t make eye contact as she talked.
“Maxi, we’ve told you a hundred times: If you wish to see Devashree and Dasharath, you must make an appointment by phone. Neither the President nor the other members of the council appreciate you waking in here wearing filthy clothes and smelling like a trashcan.”
“But I has founded the other children.”
The reception lady looked up then. And then she noticed me. And Sarmoo and Benjamin and Benny Bear too. And…
“Argh!!!” She screeched when she saw Jack.
Jack sighed.
“I guess that happens to you a lot.” I whispered to Jack. He nodded as a reply.
“There is no need to be afraid, Jennifer.” Said Mr Maxi. “This is Jack. He has helped the children get as far as they has gotted.”
The lady stopped her gasping and looked at me.
“Oh,” She began. “And you say you’re the other children?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I’m Emma. This is Sarmoo, and this is Benjamin and Benny Bear.”
“Hmm. You’re not all of them then?”
“No. We’ve found Mathew too, but he wanted to stay at home. We’re still looking for the others.” I then lightened up. “But now we’ve found two more. Devie and Dashy are here, aren’t they?”
“Yes. They apparently predicted you would come today.”
“They predicted?” Said Jack.
“They’re telepathic, Jack.” I said.
“Yes, they’ve proved that much to us dozens of times.” Said the reception lady.
“Well, can we see them?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
…
The lady contacted the second top floor where someone was keeping company the telepathic twins.
We had some gentleman with us who was going to escort us to Devie and Dashy.
The lift door opened in front of us.
As I walked in I noticed that the back wall was glass, but there was nothing but a blank metal wall behind it. What the heck was it glass for?
But my question was answered shortly after the lift started moving.
After about ten seconds, the blank metal back disappeared. And what replaced it stunned me silent.
There was no wall at all. Just the sight of the busy roads a few hundred feet below.
But that few hundred feet began to grow as we got higher and faster.
The people, cars, streets and roads below us began to shrink.
And as we got higher that the buildings surrounding us, I looked up…
Oh my god…
Hundreds and hundreds of skyscrapers were laid out in front us, spread across the city.
Tall and taller, sky-high soaring, and proud standing buildings of this great city stood before me.
It was…breath taking…
I’d never seen anything like it since…well…since I last saw New York how it use to be.
I was almost crying.
Not just with amazement, but with distressing memories about the world I left behind that still haunted me.
“Wow.” Jack gasped. “This is amazing. Have you ever seen a world like this before? It’s fantastic!”
“Chor, wook ‘ow high we’re going!” Said Benjamin.
“I’d say were climbing over one hundred stories.” Said Benny Bear.
“I’ve never seen a city before.” Said Sarmoo. “Now I know why places like London, Paris and New York are so popular. This is beautiful.”
It was too beautiful.
I looked at this city…and it made me feel…well…
The lift suddenly began to slow down.
#Ping# The lift stopped.
“Doors opening.” Spoke the lift operator machine.
Our guide led us out.
“Follow me down the way.” He said. “The twins are with their interpreter in the conference room. But don’t worry, it’s vacant. There is no meeting yet.”
Benjamin ran out of the elevator doors.
“Devie! Dashy!” He called as he ran. “Were here!”
“Benjamin, stop! You’ll get lost!” I called after him. “Wait! Don’t run off!”
“Hee, hee, hee!” Benjamin ignored me.
“Benjamin!” Jack ran after him. “Benjamin, come back!”
Benjamin sped round the corner with Jack still chasing after him.
He burst through some double doors. And then stopped.
He stared at the three people staring back at him.
“Benjamin.” Jack and I came through the doors. “Benjamin,” Jack began. “What have we told you about…”
I then saw the same people Benjamin was looking at.
“Devie! Dashy!” Benjamin cried.
“Benjamin!” They both cried back.
Benjamin ran up to Devashree and leaped onto her.
“Devie! Devie! Devie!” He cried.
“Well, ain’t you a sight for sore eyes.” I said.
“Emma!” Dasharath leaped out of his seat. “Namoshkar, Emma! Namoshkar!” Dasharath talked in Indian as he took hold of my hands and jumped about.
Devashree hugged Benjamin and spoke to him in Indian.
Sarmoo also ran to Devashree and hugged her too.
Devashree was almost crying. She was so pleased to see us all again.
But there was another Indian lady in the room I didn’t know.
She got to her feet and came over to great me.
I thought she was going to speak in Indian gibberish.
“Emma Donnahue, I presume?” She spoke.
“Err, yeah I’m Emma.” I replied.
“I’m Mrs Nahasapee. I’m am Devashree and Dasharath’s interpreter when Mr Maxi is not here.”
“Interpreter?” Sarmoo suddenly lightened. He let go of Devashree and came over to Mrs Nahasapee. “I’m an Interpreter too.”
“You?” She puzzled. “Ah, you must be Sarmoo. Dasharath has told me a lot about you. You use to translate their words for the other children when you were all together.”
“Emma?” Dasharath began to ask me a question in India. “Sha may lado kou?”
“She said: ‘Where are the other children’.” Both Sarmoo and Mrs Nahasapee.
“Absolutely correct, Sarmoo.” Said Mrs Nahasapee.
Benjamin jumped off Devie’s lap.
“Hey, Devie, come and meet Jack.” He said as he took Devashree by the hand. “He’s helped us get this far. We couldn’t have done it without him.”
“Oh, of course you could have, little fella.” But then Jack thought again. “Actually, maybe you wouldn’t have.”
“Hey, you’re the one who saved Benjamin from Oogie Boogie.” I said. “And you’re the one who helped Anastasia through her nightmares.”
“And you’re the one who found Emma’s heart in the first place and started the journey.” Said Sarmoo. “If it wasn’t for you, Emma would have never have found us.”
Mrs Nahasapee began to whisper to Devashree and Dasharath and translate what myself and Sarmoo had said.
Devashree whispered something to Mrs Nahasapee as she pointed to Jack.
“Devashree asks ‘What is a skeleton doing in Independence City?’ and ‘Are you from Halloween Town?” Mrs Nahasapee.
“Why yes. I am Jack, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town!” Jack pulled a scary leering face at the telepathic twins.
They both jumped, and stared wide-eyed in fright.
“Hee, hee…” Benjamin began to giggle.
“Jack came with us when the holiday doors were locked and we had to travel to another holiday some other way.” I began as Mrs Nahasapee translated to the Indian twins. “We dug up a train in Christmas Town and it took us to the abandoned station in this city. And that’s where we met Mr Maxi…”
“Mr Maxi!?!” Devie and Dashy jumped and kind of crowded me. “Where Maxi?” They said best English. “Where Maxi? Where?”
“He’s just out side the front entrance. The reception lady wouldn’t let him in ‘cause he smelled like a trashcan.”
Sarmoo translated for Devie and Dashy.
“Would like to see Maxi.” Said Dasharath.
“Nasha! Nasha!” Said Devashree.
Sarmoo asked in Indian. “What do you have to do with Mr Maxi anyway?”
Devashree spoke to Sarmoo.
“Oh!” He said.
“What? What?!” I urgently asked.
Sarmoo looked amazed at what he had heard…
Sarmoo then explained…
“He was the one who found Devashree and Dasharath’s hearts.”
…
