VANISHING ACT

a slow dread rises up in the pit of my stomach
i'm trying hard not to let my mind run away with itself
i wander bewilderedly up and down the street
stumble in and out of shops
not knowing what i'm doing
mrs f is in a similar state of panic
we scratch our heads
we frantically try to retrace our movements
two minutes ago
we were standing at the entrance to this shop
discussing whether to go in or not
the next moment our little girl has vanished into thin air
on the busiest shopping street in central seoul
it's every parent's nightmare
the stuff of news stories
impassioned press conference pleas
it's probably less than five minutes
though it seems like an eternity
before mrs f gets a call
she suddenly bolts out of the shop to the police station
which happens to be only about three doors away
i walk through the sliding doors
to see mrs f with hannah sitting on her lap like a little puppy
tears of relief streaming down her face
you see, h has got a chain around her neck
with her name and mrs f's mobile number on it
two girls had found her wandering around
by some street stalls
back the way we'd come
some aussie fella's having some trouble finding his hotel
none of the taxi drivers will help him!
suddenly we're all jumping in a cab
and heading to the hotel oriental to sort him out
drama, my seeds, drama!