The voice comes on again this time as loud as a speaker in a deserted town . “ Whilst , you ’ ve been sitting there , pondering in shock at the situation at hand I ’ ve been planning a route for us to go on so that you can get the full experience before you leave by the end of today ! Are you ready ? Now first we ’ re going to be dropping in to the Yuyuan temple , hold on tight !” He seems to be looking forward to this eventful day , or is that a slight tone of impatience I hear ? All of a sudden , in the blink of an eye , darkness .
Someone ’ s shaking me , I look up , into her concerned eyes . She ’ s speaking an inaudible language , or am I just hearing things ? This seems familiar , to a while ago , but different . It ’ s almost as if i ’ m experiencing déjà vu , but something ’ s different . Though my eyes are open I can ' t think of why ; my heart is pounding , mind empty . It ' s as if a hypodermic of adrenaline has been emptied into my carotid . I strain into the utter darkness , breathing rate beginning to steady . I get up to look around , phasing in and out of reality as I get a grasp of my surroundings , rickshaws moving around the road as if it ’ s a highway , people taking a stroll through what seems to be like a market , everyone ' s staring at me , like i ’ m the elephant in the room it ’ s very unnerving as I try to figure out all the possibilities as to why it is . Then I figure it out , I must have dropped through the sky and landed on the streets of old Shanghai ! The voice comes on again . “ Yes , Jaydock you have arrived ! Now take your time to wander around but don ’ t take too long , any longer in one location at a time and you just might faze out of reality ! Haha !” The voice stops , I look around , does anybody else hear this ? It appears so as everyone continues wandering around the street like mindless zombies . This voice really bothers me , I ’ m not sure if it ’ s the fact that I can ’ t see him , or if it ’ s the fact that he can see me ? Whatever , i ’ m going to take a look around this bedazzling city .
It ’ s amazing , breath taking . I stood in shock and awe as I became one with my dreams , it ’ s stunning . A rickshaw comes up to me , noticing that i ’ m foreign to this place , offers me a lift again in the same inaudible language as the woman before , I communicate him with a handful of sign language along with very strange english . He shakes his head , showing me that he doesn ’ t understand . I get it , afterall I don ’ t really belong here , then he speaks “ You want tour here ? Very cheap !” I hop in and he starts running . I finally can sit back , take all this information in and break it down piece by piece , one step at a time . The rickshaw clothes flowed in the wind , the distinct holes in his clothes and pants show just how much poverty there was back then . Shoes that came straight out of a old chinese film . And the buildings , wide and short , unlike the monstrous skyscrapers that tower above us nowadays , these buildings were much more friendly , approachable , each one having a similar design which seems to be some form of a smiley face . I smile . The sky , bright and clear , covered the city in a blanket of sunlight . Rays of heat pulse against the surface of my skin , each pulse making this dream seem even more real than it should .
The fashion back then was strange , almost alien . Men wore some form of dress and the women would also wear dresses too , but different . The city was immersed in shades of red and gold , every corner , nook and cranny of each alleyway and shop had golden red signs all over it . I know why , it was because it symbolises luck and warded of evil , I guess Shanghai must have evil spirits everyday considering the amount of red in this city . I hear the crackling of the mic and I sigh , it must be that strange voice again . “ I was wondering why you were not teleporting back to me , it was because you were being toured by a rickshaw ! Smart I must say ..” I call out to him and to ask him where is the most interesting place in the old Shanghai . “ Oh funny you ask young man ! I was going to take you there myself but I guess going in the rickshaw would offer you the full experience so I shall take control of him !” The mic cuts off , I remember what he said , take control of him ? Isn ’ t that something that only happens in fairytales and movies and such ? Well that wouldn ’ t be so hard to believe since I am in a living fairytale myself . In an instant the rickshaw pulls to a sudden halt , my fingers instinctively grip onto the side of the chair so forcefully that they threaten to pop off their sockets in my hands . The pain holds me back as I slam back into the chair gripping my fingers in pain . The man looks down , for what seemed to be eternity until he slowly turns his head , in a very spine chilling manner , I look at him . “ Hello Jaydock ! Ready for the next best stop in Shanghai ?”
The wheels on the rickshaw creaked under my weight as the man pulled me through the streets to the next stop , it ’ s oddly quiet , not silent , just awkwardly quiet . I break the awkward silence by asking him who he is , where he came from and what ’ s his purpose ? “ Hmmm … I never seem to understand what it is with you kids and curiosity nowadays , can ’ t you just enjoy the ride and this magical dream trip for what it is ?” I persist and ask him the question again hoping to get an actual answer this time . “ A genie , yes a genie , that ’ s what you can call me . Just without the lamp and the three wishes , whenever the machine is used for a wish I am summoned to grant the wish no matter the circumstance , for reasons that cannot be explained . So when you made the wish on that machine the other day in the museum I was summoned to grant your wish . It has been a while since I came out though , the machine has been left on the side in the dusty corner of the museum , I ’ m surprised you found it to be honest . Ah we ’ re here !”