Trapped

Emily was on holidays to Canberra from home, back in the U.K. On this particular day, a fairly miserable, wet day, Emily was visiting Old Parliament. It was around 2 in the afternoon when Emily arrived. She had a keen interest in past politics, parliament and different government methods and such. Emily was 18 and had just left high school and when she finished in Canberra, she would return home and begin studying to be a lawyer.

Emily lingered in each little section of each room, taking in the information, lingering to stare at the pictures and scenes that surrounded her. She was in the Prime Ministers of Australia gallery when it hit five o'clock. Closing time. She was too busy ingesting the information given on Edmond Barton to notice the warning signs and announcments. She had set herself a project. A huge project on the prime ministers of Australia. All the way from Edmond Barton to the current prime minister, Julia Gillard.

By the time Emily thought to check her watch, it was 7:30. She had spent two and a half hours in that galllery alone. She began thinking about where she would go next when it hit her. Old Parliament House had closed for the day.

Emily raced at lighgtning speed down the stairs and to the front doors of the museum. She shook them so hard they rattled and jolted. But they stayed firmly shut. No luck. She was locked in. "Well then." Emily dusted her hands off. Rattling and shaking that door had been hard work. It was definently heavy. "I'll just have to make the most of this." She sighed. "The whole museum to myself and all the time in the world to explore what it holds within it's walls." She cheered up a little and skipped back to the Proime Ministers of Australia gallery.

A while later, Emily was creeping backward through the corridor. It was growing dark now, and Emily was growing scared. The initial excitement of having the museum to herself had long gone and now all poor Emily wanted was to go home. Just as she took another step, further into the deep, dark corridor, she felt something, or rather someone bump against her back. "Argh!" She screamed as she whirled around to face the thing that had hit her. It was screaming too. They both turned to face each other. "I thought I was..." Emily trailed off. "Alone." She and the stranger said, at exactly the same time. The sytranger stepped into the light in the center of the room. It, he was a man. Maybe around her age even. "Hi." He offered, sounding connfused. "Hi." Emily's voice had come out shakier then she had intended. "I'm Bruce." The man offered his hand out to Emily. "Emily." Emily shook Bruce's hand. "Come on." Bruce said. "WE've got to find somewhere to set up camp." "Good idea." Said Emily. Together, the two bounded up the stairs.

A half hour later, Emily and Bruce had set up camp in the chambers of the senate. "So tell me about yourself Emily." Bruce and Emily were lying in sleeping bag arrangments on the floor. They were both lying on their sides to face eachother. "Ok." Said Emily. "Well. I come from London in England, I'm 18 and I'm going to law school next year. My Dad died when I was 6, so now it's just my Mum and 4 sisters. I'm the youngest. The others are Abigail, Belinda, Caroline and Deborah." Emily finished. "Wow. That's quite a past isn't it then." Bruce's mouth, Emily spotted was gaping open. "Now allow me to tell you a little about myself." "Im 19, I live right here in Canberra and I'm studying to be a doctor. Hopefully a personal one for the Prime Minister, opposition leader and their families. You know important people like that?" Emily nodded. Bruce went on. "My Mum lives in Broken Hill, running a farm with my little brother Scott's help. She and Dad are divorced. Dad lives over in Sydney. I visit hinm a bit. Usually go up on weekends." Bruce and Emily talked like this until they fell asleep.

In the morning, at around 9:30, 10 someone came tob open the door. Hearing it, Emily and Bruce ran excitedly toward the door. The elderly lady who had opened the door was shocked at the sight of two people racing toward her like that. "My my!" The lady exclaimed. "We were uh.." Emily trailed off, panting hard. "Locked." Bruce finished for her, panting just as much as Emily was. "Oh dear. Well, I'm terribly sorry about that Dears. Now you can go if you'd like. Or you could stay a while longer." The woman offered. "No." Emily puffed. "Thank you." "We'll just collect our things and go."