[2-F] Lisa Green (Foreign Tourist) Act II #ThoseWhoCannotReturn

I can still feel the warmth of that child's hand in my palm. But when I look up, I cannot find her anywhere in the vast gymnasium.
The murmur of Japanese reaching my ears sounds like it should have meaning, yet I cannot understand it. I feel as though I have been left all alone in the night of a country I do not know, and the depths of my chest tremble slightly.

Before dawn, the gymnasium serving as an evacuation center was cold and silent.
Lisa tossed and turned repeatedly on the cardboard spread out on the floor. Around her, families and the elderly were huddled together, sleeping. The sobbing of a child or someone's coughing echoed occasionally. But what remained most in Lisa's ears was the sound of her own heart beating like a rapid alarm.

It was only my second day in Japan. It was supposed to be a fun trip. But the massive earthquake yesterday closed the hotel, and my smartphone's roaming is unstable, barely connecting at all. Even when I speak in English, the reactions of the people at the shelter are hesitant. They look at me with kind eyes, but the wall of not being able to speak the language makes me feel as if I am trapped in a transparent box.

The suitcase rolled outside the shelter is my only anchor. Inside are changes of clothes, cosmetics, my laptop, and a small album I brought from home. Several photos of me with my parents and younger brother are tucked inside. Everything here is proof of who I am and a clue to the place I call home. That is why I can never let it go.

Morning came, and the distribution of food began at the gymnasium entrance.
Lisa timidly joined the back of the line of people. The scent of warm miso soup tickled her nose, and her stomach growled.
"One, please..."
When she put her hands together, an elderly volunteer smiled and handed her a bowl.
"Here you go. It's nice and warm."
She didn't fully understand the meaning, but the tone of voice and expression conveyed it well enough. Lisa bowed deeply and took a sip of the hot soup.
The soft texture of the daikon radish and tofu. Even though she almost burned her tongue, tears welled up. That single bowl of miso soup melted the heart that had been frozen by loneliness just a little bit.

By noon, people began gathering at the shelter to seek information.
Handwritten papers were posted on the bulletin board, listing words like water supply, charging, and medical care. But they were all in kanji, and Lisa could not decipher them. Even when she desperately tried to open a translation app on her smartphone, the connection would cut out, and the screen would remain frozen.

"Excuse me, water?"
She gathered the courage to ask. But a young man shrugged his shoulders in confusion, replied "I don't know" in Japanese, and walked away.
Her heart withered again.

Still, in the afternoon, she finally met a middle school student who helped her with broken English.
"Water, here. Map, see?"
He drew a map on a small memo.
"Okay? Safe. No problem."
Saved by that smile, Lisa squeezed a "Thank you" out from the depths of her chest.

She started walking, relying on the map, but the roads were blocked everywhere by rubble and fallen objects. The casters of her dragging suitcase made a loud rattling noise, drawing the attention of those around her. Feeling self-conscious, she still could not let it go.

On the way, a man on a bicycle shouted at her.
"It's dangerous! You're in the way!"
She couldn't understand the meaning, but the intensity of his voice conveyed it.
Lisa shouted "Sorry!" and moved to the side of the road, clutching her suitcase. Her throat tightened, and hot tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

However, at that moment, she suddenly noticed something.
In the shadow of the rubble, there was a small cat trembling.A calico catwas staring at Lisa with frightened eyes.
"Oh... Kitty..."
She reached out a hand, but the cat immediately darted away.
What remained was a fleeting moment of eye contact between two living creatures.
Lisa steadied her breathing and began to walk again.

Dusk. On her way back from the water station, she saw a crowd forming in the distance.
Someone was shouting in front of a building. When she strained her ears, the word "Tasukete" (Help me) was mixed into the fragmented Japanese.

Something cold dropped into Lisa's chest.
A voice calling for help.
But she was a foreigner and couldn't speak Japanese. What should she do?

Her feet stopped.
She gripped the handle of her suitcase tightly. The casters caught on a pebble and made a grating sound.
The people around her stopped, but no one moved. Fear dominated the air.Aftershockswere happening repeatedly. There was no way an amateur without equipment could jump in.

English and Japanese words swirled in Lisa's head.
"Help?" "Tasukete?" "Fire?" "Danger?"
If there is someone inside, I have to go.
But the courage to jump into a pile of rubble...

She took out her smartphone. The battery was at 3%. The signal was weak.
When she opened the SNS hashtag, the characters for #Help were glowing.
Her fingertips trembled.

Branch (Lisa Green - Act II Finale)

What on earth should I do?

👉 [Raise your voice to alert those around you]
👉 [Pretend you didn't see it and walk away]