The adventure began in August of 2000 when my Dad got stationed in Okinawa, Japan. It seemed just like another temporary move, but little did my sister and I know, the three years spent there would be the adventure of a lifetime. I became penpals with a girl named Yumi, my sister and I were chased down by the military police at our friend's eleventh birthday party (which is going to be the center of my story here), and we were able to connect with the Japanese culture in many different ways. I guess the most unexpected part about the time we spent in Japan was when we were chased by the military police.
Because we lived on base, we pretty much knew most of the people around us. My family lived in the Kashaba towers along with many other military families. Across from the towers was a wooden area that that always brought curiousity within our friend group. At my friend Paige's eleventh birthday, we decided to venture off into it to see what kind of adventures it would bring us.
Our small group of five: Paige, Ali, Hana, Maryann (my sister), and climbed down a thick green vine into the wooded area which was somewhat in a ditch. Once I got to the bottom, I was breathtaken by the enormous, fairy-tale looking trees with moisted green leaves and vines. The ground was covered with lutious grass, and damp soil. It looked like a magical forrest in a storybook; I was amazed at the scenery.
An abrupt and shrilling voice startled, and ruined that beautiful moment by shouting "This is the military police! You're in a forbidden area!" Sirens irritated the air, and the five of us stood frozen. After a moment that seemed like an eternity, Ali finally knocked us all out of our state of shock by whispering in a harsh voice "We have to get out of here before they catch us!"
The five of us climbed what seemed like a fifty foot tall tree by using the vines that hugged the tree like a ladder. Once we reached the top, we used the branches to climb over to what seemed to be a treehouse. I was the first to go into the small sanctuary, and I didn't exactly have the time I wanted to explore the room seeing as we were being chased. I do remember seeing a red back pack though, and I was tempted to take it so we could later on have a souvenier of this moment. I climbed down the treehouse, and along with my four accomplists, we hopped over a small stream using the petruding rocks. By the time we cross the water, we were in the safety zone. The road was right near by, so we all just ran over to the sidewalk, and acted casual as we watched the police officers swarm the forbidden woods.
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