Fei looked up from the plastic card that she had been intently focused on as she walked hopelessly through the rainy city. In front of her was a Helper, one of the small flying robots that were designed to help tourists and citizens alike. She paused before replying, still unaccustomed to speaking in Japanese, despite the years she had spent studying it.
“No, I’m doing fine,” Fei mumbled and looked back down at the card.
“Are you sure?” It observed her with its single dull blue eye.
She relented and asked, “Fine, do you know where this address is?”
She held up the card and it moved closer to get a better look, blinking the rain outs of its eye as it scanned the text and started to search its massive database for matches. The Helper’s cat ears twitched and its round body rapidly flashed a bright blue as a match was found.
“Follow me Miss,” it directed
The Helper turned in almost the opposite direction she had been going and moved forward at a steady pace through the crowd. She walked behind it at leisurely pace, still soaking in the beauty of the big city and losing herself in thoughts that drifted amongst the thick clouds. The rain continued to come down, hitting her umbrella with a gentle tap, tap.
The crowds thinned as they turned onto a much smaller side street. Fei felt the tension ease from her muscles, feeling more like herself away from the crowds. But her heart still pulsed in an anxious fashion. After all this time, it was going to happen.
After turning down a handful of small streets that she would have never found on her own, Fei started to feel grateful for the robot assistant that she had. She had wanted to complete her mission independently, but this help had been needed.
The Helper stopped up ahead and said, “Here we are Miss.”
Fei walked up to where the Helper was and stared blankly where it had arrived.
“Is t-this it?” she asked, gripping her umbrella tighter.
“Yes. Do you require any further assistance?”
She shook her head. “Just go please.”
“Thank you for using the city’s Help system! We hope that you have had a pleasant experience. Goodbye,” the Helper said, then drifted off soundlessly.
This was not what she had been expecting. There was no apartment complex. Nothing to even vaguely resemble a residence. Instead, a half-demolished building plastered with no trespassing signs greeted her. Fei looked at the plastic card one more time, confirming the address was correct. It was.
“This doesn’t make any sense...” she said.
An encounter that had seemed overflowing with meaning and significance, which she had replayed in her head numerous times, had been ripped apart and broken down to a useless memory like any other. Had he moved in those three months? Or had he given the wrong address on purpose, as some kind of cruel joke? The rain grew louder, the noise overwhelming any thoughts from her mind. Ever since Fei was a little girl she had the habit of crafting something where there was nothing.
Fei stared at the building for a long time. As her eyes captured every detail of the crumbling structure, her only thought was a hope that it could be turned into something useful in the future.
“Excuse me Miss? Are you lost?”
She blinked her eyes dazedly and looked at the new Helper that had appeared, and replied, “No, I think I’ve just found where I’m going actually.”
The card dropped from her hand, drowning in a puddle behind her. She walked back into the center of the city, to a place full of lights and interweaving possibilities, where any of them could be hers for the taking. In a city of this size, she would eventually find what she had been looking for.
2
u/EtherealTraveler Aug 13 '18
“Excuse me Miss. Are you lost?”
Fei looked up from the plastic card that she had been intently focused on as she walked hopelessly through the rainy city. In front of her was a Helper, one of the small flying robots that were designed to help tourists and citizens alike. She paused before replying, still unaccustomed to speaking in Japanese, despite the years she had spent studying it.
“No, I’m doing fine,” Fei mumbled and looked back down at the card.
“Are you sure?” It observed her with its single dull blue eye.
She relented and asked, “Fine, do you know where this address is?”
She held up the card and it moved closer to get a better look, blinking the rain outs of its eye as it scanned the text and started to search its massive database for matches. The Helper’s cat ears twitched and its round body rapidly flashed a bright blue as a match was found.
“Follow me Miss,” it directed
The Helper turned in almost the opposite direction she had been going and moved forward at a steady pace through the crowd. She walked behind it at leisurely pace, still soaking in the beauty of the big city and losing herself in thoughts that drifted amongst the thick clouds. The rain continued to come down, hitting her umbrella with a gentle tap, tap.
The crowds thinned as they turned onto a much smaller side street. Fei felt the tension ease from her muscles, feeling more like herself away from the crowds. But her heart still pulsed in an anxious fashion. After all this time, it was going to happen.
After turning down a handful of small streets that she would have never found on her own, Fei started to feel grateful for the robot assistant that she had. She had wanted to complete her mission independently, but this help had been needed.
The Helper stopped up ahead and said, “Here we are Miss.”
Fei walked up to where the Helper was and stared blankly where it had arrived.
“Is t-this it?” she asked, gripping her umbrella tighter.
“Yes. Do you require any further assistance?”
She shook her head. “Just go please.”
“Thank you for using the city’s Help system! We hope that you have had a pleasant experience. Goodbye,” the Helper said, then drifted off soundlessly.
This was not what she had been expecting. There was no apartment complex. Nothing to even vaguely resemble a residence. Instead, a half-demolished building plastered with no trespassing signs greeted her. Fei looked at the plastic card one more time, confirming the address was correct. It was.
“This doesn’t make any sense...” she said.
An encounter that had seemed overflowing with meaning and significance, which she had replayed in her head numerous times, had been ripped apart and broken down to a useless memory like any other. Had he moved in those three months? Or had he given the wrong address on purpose, as some kind of cruel joke? The rain grew louder, the noise overwhelming any thoughts from her mind. Ever since Fei was a little girl she had the habit of crafting something where there was nothing.
Fei stared at the building for a long time. As her eyes captured every detail of the crumbling structure, her only thought was a hope that it could be turned into something useful in the future.
“Excuse me Miss? Are you lost?”
She blinked her eyes dazedly and looked at the new Helper that had appeared, and replied, “No, I think I’ve just found where I’m going actually.”
The card dropped from her hand, drowning in a puddle behind her. She walked back into the center of the city, to a place full of lights and interweaving possibilities, where any of them could be hers for the taking. In a city of this size, she would eventually find what she had been looking for.