Elevators Through Time - Book 1

Part 25: Centrepoint Tower

Part 25: Centrepoint Tower

Year: 1990

Time: 11:24am

Location: Centrepoint Tower, Sydney CBD, NSW, Australia.

Level: Ground Level, Tower Entrance

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Warning: An incident like this did really occur on July 2008 when one of the lifts malfunctioned and the people were stuck in the lift for 1.5 hours.

To anyone involved who may be reading this. I added this to the story to dramatise the moment, not to traumatise you. Please forgive me for possibly bringing up bad memories.

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I paid the fee and enter the lift to go up to the restaurant deck of the tower. The lift is large enough to fit very many people. Unfortunately today was a busy day for tourists and they got all they could into the elevator. Jed said that he would catch the next one.

Mostly asian tourists and local people were there, but that nice Russian guy that we met earlier was there. He waved at us but didn't initiate a conversation. His mind seemed to be elsewhere. It was easy, in this country, to find your mind drifting off.

When the elevator was full and the doors started to close, people shuffled back to get away from the door.

Kate was in front of me and reversed into me, stepping on the toes of my left foot.

"Ow"

"Sorry"

The elevator moved up slowly and then stopped as the carriage below ours was filled.

The stopping for the lower carriage had a slight bounce to it and Kate's behind rubbed against me for a second. I didn't think too much of it at the time, but Kate did and she blushed without me knowing.

Once she was settled and we were enjoying he view on the way up, I instinctively wrapped my arms around her shoulders as we travelled onward and upwards.

---- ---- ---- ----

We reached the "Sky Venue" on Level 3 and saw nearly 70 people walking around and taking photos of the view and each other. There was some event going on but we only entered to see the view. It was such a huge area to be situated on a tall structure.

I asked Jed if we could have some time to ourselves and he understood and went down to the Bar level.

Kate and I moved towards an empty area near the window. The people seemed to have their own groups and stuck around eachother.

Kate seemed to be conscious of the fact that we were walking on an area that wasn't supported but the central shaft, and looked a little uneasy.

I held her hand and that helped with her nerves.

"Wow! There are so many buildings below. So many cars and people moving around. They are all like ants!" was her comment once we looked down. Even I felt a little nervous once my eyes averted downwards. I don't 'fear' heights, I just keep a respectful distance from the edge...

I was about to speak to Kate, but there seemed to be something on her mind. Maybe it was the elevation or larger scale than what she is used to.

"The Flatiron was only 20 storeys from the ground...this is much higher and there are so many buildings around us." She said after a few minutes of silence. "From this high up... Alex, are people here like they were back where we are from? I mean, do they know people that live near them?"

I shook my head.

"Kate, the more money you have the less close friends you have. Many people here don't personally know people who are right next to them. That is the problem with cities. They bring people closer to work, but individuals are still alone. When there are so many people around people either get more irritable or less sociable because they are too close together."

We both exchanged sad faces.

"This is my future," Kate said, casting her eyes around the room.

"Oh, but there are always good people if you can find them." I replied.

Kate's tummy growled.

"Oh dear, I seems all this walking and talking has given me an appetite something fierce. We'd best find some sustenance."

"Yes m'lady," I jokingly replied, noting the change to a Deckenzian/Texan tone in her speech.

I remember having some emergency food reserves in compressed storage, but it is best to keep them until they are really needed. Null space storage does not affect food because time is irrelevant there, QED food doesn't spoil.

"Ahaha, you look funny saying that with that cowboy hat on. Why don't you take it off?" Kate said, reaching for my hat.

When she touched it I pulled away for a moment then took off the hat and looked at it.

"I keep this..." I started, "Because I have some good memories with this hat. I wear it to remember ones who have passed away, as well as to shade my eyes.

"It must look odd in elevators," Kate commented, to which I laughed and agreed. She diverted the topic to kindly bring me back to the present.

Kate's tummy grumbled.

"Ah, let's get you something to munch on then," I said, holding my arm out for her to wrap hers around.

We joined a few others and went back to the elevator to go down to the Bar and Dining Deck, on Level 1.

I reached for the number but someone pressed the button before me and the one on my side illuminated green.

I stared at the button for a moment, pondering how technology has come this far in such a short time.

I turned to Kate who was beside me, and it seemed that she was enjoying the whole moment of us being this close together and her embracing my arm. She was turned away from me but I could see a smile at the corner of her cheek.

The lack of a view seems to make time seem longer as we went down to the lower level. 'Or is it-'

*CLANK*

*CLATTER*

*SNAP*

I scarcely had time to finish my thought when something above us groaned, hissed and we felt a sickening sense of weightlessness ad the elevator suddenly plummeted a few meters and was jarred by the sudden grasp of the safety brakes.

Everyone in the elevator hit the floor with a thud. It was far from pleasant.

When the emergency lights flickered on it all seemed to be out of a strange nightmare. The red ambience of the faint light was scary, to say the least.

"Kate? KATE!?" I called.

"I'm alright," she replied, coughing a little. Geez, she even coughed cute.

I shook myself out of that thought and called out, "Is anyone hurt?"