five minutes last an hour

captive

I open my eyes, my vision blurry. And my head feels fuzzy, as if I had just woken up from a daze.

And then I feel a sudden gust of wind blow my hair across my face and turn my head, almost blinded by the brightest pair of lights approaching me at lightning speed.

I blink, and the moment I realize where I am, I tense up and keep my body as tight together as possible, scared. Luckily, I was not run over.

How I had even come to being in the middle of a busy road, I was unsure.

Immediately, I get up, my arms out in front of me to steady myself as I sprint to the sidewalk.

I look all around, at the buildings and the street signs and the people, hoping something familiar would spark any memory of how I got here.  

Nothing came to mind.

I sit down on a nearby bench to collect myself. I sigh, frustrated, my head in my hands.

"Hello?" I hear a voice call out from far away.

Thinking that they aren't trying to get my attention, I don't reply.

"Are you lost?"

I look up and see a mother approaching me. With her left hand, she is strolling a transparent luggage made of plastic three-quarters filled with travelling necessities. She is holding the hand of a young boy with her other. He is also holding a luggage similar to hers, but one more fitted to his size.

I had no clue of how she figured that I was, indeed, lost. And, if I may add, it was they who looked as though were lost, running towards me with their baggage and tourist-like apparel.

"Well, yes, actually," I say as I stand up. "How did you know?"

"Nobody is allowed to roam the streets at night alone," the child answered. "If you're caught, you might be..." The expression on his face and the way his voice trailed off notified me that getting caught would most definitely not be a good thing.

"Perhaps you didn't know?" The mother studied me for a second and pursed her lips. "How about you come with us? We can accompany you until we can get you home," she offered.

My lips curl into a faint smile and I nod my head. I don't want to mention that I don't know where home is, and if I do mention that I just found myself lying in the middle of the street, I think they would immediately change their minds about helping me.

"Great, then follow us." And we start walking down the sidewalk.

"So, where are you from?" the boy asks as he looks up at me.

Although my lips move to speak, no sound escapes my mouth. But the boy replies, "I see," as if I actually answered. How odd.

Just moments ago I was able to hear myself, so why am I like this now? What's going on?!

We turn a corner and the path we've been taking has led us to what seems to be a park. 

As the mother and child keep walking forward, I stop to admire the view. The entrance is marked by a white garden arbor with vines entwined in its open spaces, and the cobblestone path is lined with bright lampposts, almost similar to those on a highway. There are many passersby, all walking in twos. Some have brought with them their pets on leashes.

I begin to follow the mother and child again, but I stop in my tracks upon seeing the son let go of his mother's hand and run towards a nearby bush, setting aside his baggage.

Before I could call out to him, he pulls out a baby greyhound dog who must have been hiding in the shrubbery. The dog is almost half the size of the boy, and it has no collar, so I assume that it's a stray. How he knew that dog was there, I don't know, because only until he brought it out of the bushes did I realize was it there.