Preparations for departure

This time, I awoke to the sound of chirps and trills. The birds called each other, and waited ardently for a reply. I answered their call with my rough arisal out of bed and the birds fluttered away into the morning sky. The wooden floors creaked under my footsteps, there was still the faint smell of stale smoke and remains of bread crumbs on the kitchen tabletop. I ignored both and went to the front porch. It was still early, the clock in the hall showed that it was only 6:30AM.

Outside, the roaring traffic resounded between the narrow alleyways. It rebounded back and forth like a rubber ball, slowly decreasing in speed and energy. The pedestrians rushed in both directions, hurrying to get to their workplace. Promptly, I stepped back in and closed the door behind me. From my bedroom closet, I hastily grabbed a jacket and some stockings. The route to the plaza was going to take a while due to all the early morning traffic. I walked briskly to the front door and put on my soiled shoes.

The road was jam packed with automobiles, and it hummed a tune of frustration. The furious yelling of cars was received by the dull silence of pedestrians. Kenji ran towards the intersection at top speed, hoping to cross the street before the red light. The city center was only a single block away; however, the crowd pushed and squeezed. It clasped onto my body, restraining my movements and holding me still. The horde of people was endless; it went stretched on for as far as the eye can see. I was trapped in between and unable to take a single step. The people selfishly cut in front of me and blocked my path. I received peculiar glances from many individuals.

Even with all the early preparations and precise timing, I was not prepared for the bustling and forceful crowd. After long minutes of waiting, the group finally dispersed until it was a trickling stream. I looked at my wrist, the watch read 7:29AM. Upon reaching the central plaza, I noticed many filing into large buses. The buses were a dismal and opaque blue, the light seem to be consumed by the thin metal plating. On the other side of the square were the clerk desks from the previous meeting.

I raced towards the counter, in fear of being late. The man behind the desk was the same as last time, but he seemed to have no recollection of me.

“I’d like to check in sir.”

The clerk was clearly displeased and frustrated, yet he was still obligated by the government to check in all participants.

“Hand it over boy. Quick!”

His face showed two faces at once, one of self-restraint and one of annoyance. He rapidly scribbled some words onto a piece of paper and looked up with a scowl.

He urged me to leave him and join the bus ride before departure. I managed to catch up to the last group going into the buses. The group consisted mainly of individuals around the age 20\-25, and each person held a yellow badge. The badge consisted of two main depictions: in the back there was a circle laced with vines, and in the front there was a leaping fish. I was told later that each group received a different badge, and they were organized based on which badge they held. As for me, I was given no badge due to my late arrival. The man was too hasty and forgot to assign me to a specific group.

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