Working Travel: Realizing a Dream in a Year

Chapter 7
First time in prison

On 8 August the lease at Hastings expired.I clearly remember that winter morning, when the air was clear, the exhaled water vapor instantly turned white, and because of the brilliant sunrise, it turned into a faint golden color in an instant. I boarded the regional bus at Eagle's Mouth Bay and headed for Napier.This scene is very similar to the morning when I went from Auckland to the North Shore three months ago. I was a little sleepy and a little excited, but the difference was that there was no uneasiness.

The bus stopped next to the Napier Library, and I sat on a stone bench outside the door, waiting for Ms. Mahuaka's car.For the first time, I discovered that there are so many seabirds in Napier. They hovered above my head, singing, and bringing the breath of the sea.Being able to live in the city you like is a kind of happiness in itself.When you close your eyes, you can feel that the whole city has life. The rhythm of breathing, the intensity of sweating, and the posture of dreaming are like entities formed by superimposing countless shadows of yourself.

Someone called me, and I came to my senses. A minivan was leaning against the side of the road, and a middle-aged woman poked her head out of the window, and looked at the English words of Napier Prison written on the car.

I got into the car and found that there was another girl next to Mahuaka, who looked about my age.

"This is Catherine, our market analyst."

"Nice to meet you."

Head north on the Esplanade, then turn west onto the driveway to the top of Bluff Hill, and before long you will see the stone walls of Napier Prison, topped by a ring of electrical grids that still remain, but are presumably dead.I've never been in a prison in my life, so I don't know what's going on behind this high wall.

Mawaka told me on the way that Napier Prison is the oldest prison in New Zealand. It was closed in 1995 and the current local prison is located in Hastings.After Napier Prison was decommissioned, it was transformed into a tourist attraction, but the internal structure was basically preserved.

There is a small wooden door that looks dilapidated on the city wall, but it has been replaced with a modern combination lock.I followed Mahuaka into the prison.

"This is where the prisoners eat." She pointed to a door on the right hand side of the entrance.

"That's the toilet, that's the office..." Because the weather was fine, the high walls of the prison were also filled with warm sunshine, and there was no spooky horror as imagined.

We entered a reception room, and Mahuaka introduced the company's business to me at my request.The company mainly provides audio guide services, and has set up offices in major tourist cities in New Zealand. The downstream customers are usually museums and other institutions.

I told Mahuaka to give me two days, and I will write out my opinion.Mavaca then took me to my room, to be exact, my cell.All the bedrooms here were former prison cells, with thick iron doors glowing coldly.I opened the door and walked in. There was a bunk bed in the small cell, a trash can, a cabinet, and not even half a window, which was quite suitable for innocent souls to inhabit.

"Tomorrow and the next two nights are our prison's weekly fixed activities, Horror Night, do you want to come and have fun?" Mahuaka asked me.

I played a haunted house once in Shanghai, and the stage was in an old warehouse, which was very impressive.I agreed without hesitation.

"If you want, you can also pretend to be a ghost to scare people. We have enough costumes and props."

Well, first play the game of being scared, and then play the game of scaring others. It's such a happy decision.

haunted night

The next day I was in the office making slides, looking forward to the night coming soon.In the evening, I finally finished the first draft of the improvement plan.After Mahuaka finished reading, he was shocked and impressed by my professionalism.

She said eagerly: "No, you are too good. It happens that we are in trouble now. I think you may be able to help us. I will ask Catherine to explain the situation to you tomorrow morning. I don't have time now. Tonight The event will start at 7 o'clock, you and Furwald will line up at the gate later, here are the tickets."

Fouard was a French lad with a cropped cut and piercing eyes.He just arrived today, and he also came here for a change of accommodation. His position is a computer engineer.The two of us have been hanging out outside the prison since 6:[-], during which tourists continued to arrive, waiting outside the door for tonight's activities to start.When the wooden door was opened to welcome the guests in, it was already completely dark.On the outer wall of the prison was a small lamp, which illuminated the rough skin of the wall.The person who collects the tickets is a huge and eccentric man, whose image is reminiscent of a pirate captain.Furwald and I pretended to be ordinary tourists, handed over the tickets, and slipped in among the crowd.

The high wall is so dark that you can't stretch your fingers out. This is the night sky of New Zealand, either full of bright stars, or swallowing all the light like thick ink.A light suddenly appeared in front of our eyes. Someone illuminated his face with a flashlight. He was also a burly man. He introduced himself as the administrator of this prison.

Next, he ordered us to step or turn according to his instructions, and we were taken to the small dining room for the prisoners. He used exaggerated tone and expression to intimidate everyone. Unmoved.I know this is probably a warm-up activity, and then I will officially enter the haunted house.

In my experience, the key to a successful haunted house event is not the ingenuity of the props or the verisimilitude of the costumes, but the unexpectedness.As long as it can hit the blind spots of the participants' thinking, even a fairly ordinary trick can create a very shocking thriller.As I participated in this parade in the dark, I was thinking about how to make a fatal blow when it was my turn to appear tomorrow.During this period, Furwald teased the extras with their teeth and claws many times. Those poor high school students were overwhelmed by the big French boys. If they hadn't applied thick makeup, they must have been crying!

We talked and laughed and finished this short trip to the haunted house. We went for a walk in the city together. As we walked, Furwald said: "Go to McDonald's for dinner, I don't have much money."

I suddenly remembered that my first intimate contact with Napier also started from the McDonald's under the night.Oh, this is really a reincarnation.I don't know how Brother Benjamin is now, probably still fighting those tenacious branches in the vineyard?
"How long are you going to be here?" I asked him.

"Get a job and go," he said.

"It's hard to find a job in winter..."

"Yes. But we have a saying in French called 'La Roue Tourne', the wheel will turn, people can't be unlucky all the time!" He said cheerfully.

I also smiled happily: "Then let me teach you a sentence in Chinese, 'We are the same people who have fallen in the end of the world, why should we meet each other before'. It means two poor men, happy together."

But I know very well in my heart that even if he spends a day, he can't remember this sentence.

The next day, Catherine explained to me the trouble Mawaka mentioned. It turned out that the communication between the company and the Taiwanese supplier was not smooth, which resulted in a payment of several thousand dollars that could not be recovered.I carefully read the emails between the two parties and the transaction contract, and asked Catherine for some details, so I had a good idea.

"I drafted an email and asked Mahuaka to forward it directly to the general manager of the other party. This matter has nothing to do with business contacts."

"Hmm..." Catherine didn't seem to know what to say.

"Because the other party is Taiwanese, I will first write in Chinese and then translate into English."

"Thanks for your hard work!"

"By the way, do you have the contact information of the other party's general manager?"

"No……"

I was struck by the fact that the business culture of New Zealanders is extremely conservative. It turns out that it not only refers to products, but also includes the style of dealing with people.Looks like I'll have to figure it out on my own.

One bang, then decline, three "success"

I was in the prop room early because I was going to dress up for the second Fright Night event, and Furwald went to the bar to have fun, and I was the only extra in the prison tonight.The props room is very small, probably a former small prison cell.The wall facing the door is covered with all kinds of horrifying masks, and a row of white clothes hangs on the hanger on the right hand.The makeup artist was doing makeup for two girls, and when they saw me coming in, they both made faces.Thick white paint, like a puddle of melted cream, set off the black eye sockets and blood red lips.When it was my turn, I said to the makeup artist, "I have allergies and I can't make up."

In this way, I only wore a white jumpsuit, even if I turned into a ghost.

The last light in the prison has also been extinguished, and there is a dead silence. I lurk under the bed of a double cell, waiting for the prey to enter the door.The two girls who were chattering just now did not know which dark corner they were hiding in.Holding my breath, I waited for minutes and seconds to pass. I kept adjusting my posture on the cold ground so that my body would not feel so uncomfortable.

How long did this long darkness last?In short, before I was about to fall asleep, I was awakened by the sound of footsteps in the distance.It's time to hit the stage!

From outside the cell, the prison administrator sternly reprimanded: "You bastards who don't know the heights of the sky and the earth, get out of our haunted cell!"

Immediately afterwards, the red warning lights in the corridor flickered, and with the faint light, I saw eight feet pouring into the cell one after another.The iron door slammed shut behind them with a loud clang.The surroundings fell into a brief silence again, but this state was immediately broken.Someone started talking, and soon the four of them entered a state of gossip.I pricked up my ears, and found that what they were talking about was nothing more than the latest news, what are the party arrangements for next week...

When is the right time to climb out?I started to think about this question, which is obviously inappropriate now, because they are guarding against me, otherwise there is no need to pretend to be relaxed and chat.

I just lay down on the bottom of the bed hesitantly. After about 5 minutes, there was a scream from the next door, followed by a terrified roar echoing from the other side.It seems that my two teammates got angry.Encouraged by them, I planned to take action, but the iron gate suddenly opened, and the administrator stood outside, signaling everyone to leave.

"Damn, this is too boring!"

"Yeah, there are no ghosts in the haunted house."

They complained as they walked, and they didn't know whether it was regret or happiness.Man is a contradictory animal.I am very sorry for my cowardice.

The red warning light went off, and the surroundings fell into silence and darkness again. I told myself that this time I had to shoot no matter what.Without waiting too long, the second team arrived.The administrator repeated his old trick and drove them into the room I was guarding.Judging from the voice and the clothes on the lower body, this time there were three men and one woman, all middle-aged. They talked and laughed as usual, facing the darkness in front of them. Suddenly someone sat on the bed, which shocked me.I didn't even dare to breathe, and lay motionless on my side.Perhaps impatient to wait, someone started shouting to go out - the administrator naturally ignored it.

It's now!I quickly crawled out from under the bed and grabbed a man's foot... what I must have looked like was a giant white spider.

Ah ah ah ah ah!The other party immediately let out an earth-shattering cry, and then, the remaining seven legs greeted me with lightning speed.I heard the crisp sound of broken ribs. After bursts of severe pain, my consciousness gradually became blurred. I didn’t expect that the effect of pretending to be a ghost was so successful. With a triumphant smile on the corner of my mouth, I fell into eternal darkness... …

I opened my eyes again, the surrounding was quiet, my hand was still holding the man's ankle, strangely enough, the pain in my body disappeared completely, it turned out that everything just now was just in my imagination.The reality is always too cruel, and the other party is indifferent to my appearance.

"Hahaha, I knew there was someone under the bed a long time ago, you see, I expected it!" The man said triumphantly to his companions.

"Oh, it's so uninspired."

"That's right, can't you play some new tricks?"

What a shame.I pulled myself together, stood up with a whoosh, and staggered around among the four of us.

Hey, I'm a real zombie!You idiots are going to run away like a mouse!My heart is crying.

But I was struck again.They stared at me curiously with expressions of studying prehistoric creatures.

"This is really the worst ghost I've ever seen!" After finishing speaking, the man laughed.

"Hey, have you had dinner yet?"

"Thank you, comrade actor."

My feeling at that time can only be described as extremely ashamed, wishing I could find a hole in the ground and get into it.Should I get back under the bed again?No way, I am a scary ghost now, in that case, I will be ridiculed even more!But just like this, reluctantly performing, enduring the audience's ridicule, this feeling is really uncomfortable and uncomfortable.It turns out that pretending to be a ghost is such a boring game. If I knew it earlier, I would have gone drinking with Fuwad.

Finally, the extremely long minutes passed, the administrator opened the iron gate, and the four of them creaked away from me.I let out a sigh of relief.

Back at the bottom of the bed, still unable to recover from my depression, I just hope that the night will be over soon.

The third group of tourists came in.

At this moment, I feel like I am in a huge hallucinatory vortex. Is it a sense of déjà vu?Why does what happened before me repeat itself over and over again?Sometimes, when I was walking on a certain road, or talking to a certain friend, I would inexplicably have a feeling of déjà vu, as if I had walked the same road at the same time, or said the same thing to the same friend.

But not as strong as this time.

I finally came to my senses, this was not a déjà vu at all, but a recurring show in a short period of time.I feel so lucky to have had three chances to practice failure.There are only three things, and this time I can definitely succeed.Strange, the mood immediately calmed down when it was said to be calm.

A third group of tourists was already standing in the room.

It turns out that people are really similar, starting with caution, gradually relaxing their vigilance, and finally having no scruples.I looked at them coldly, feeling a sense of voyeurism.But I know what to do now is to be patient, because no matter how relaxed they are, it is still dark around them, and they will not forget the fact that they are in a haunted house.

I fantasized that I was a killer, quietly waiting for the chance to strike.I wish I could hit one hit and get out of it.

The red light began to flash again, and there was a strange light on the ground, which indicated that the prison door was about to open.Sure enough, after a sound of metal clashing, the administrator opened the door, and the four of them walked towards the door with some disappointment.

It is now.

I slowly moved my body from under the bed, stood up quietly, walked behind one of them, stretched out my hand, and patted her lightly on the shoulder.

She turned around.

Ah ah ah ah ah!The other party immediately let out an earth-shattering scream, and then, the remaining three people turned their heads at the same time, ahhhhhh!The four pushed and shoved each other, scrambling to move towards the door.Looking at the backs of their fleeing, I feel the pleasure of successful revenge.

When I was doing business before, my seniors often warned me that the time when I was closest to success was the most dangerous time.

The song also sings: When you are happy, you will forget your form.

I did an experiment myself to prove that this is the case.

That night, I sent the drafted email to Catherine, and her reply was simple: Perfect!I was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze, I really didn't know what else I could do here.Regarding the development of the company, I have already mentioned all the opinions I can think of. As for the sales training, most of the sales staff are overseas. I came to New Zealand just because I didn't want to do business. Naturally, I didn't want to fall into the same abyss. Negotiations with Taiwanese suppliers have always been a tiring task, and I feel tired even thinking about those past events.

I was not the only resident at Napier Prison.Other hostesses have a lot of daily work. Daniel from Chile is in charge of cleaning the entire prison every morning; Almt from Germany is responsible for receiving tourists; and Mark from the UK is in charge of website maintenance; in comparison, I Appears to be doing nothing.If this continues, I will probably become a typical lazy person, and I will have to find another job quickly.During the few days in Napier Prison, I also visited many local employment agencies, but none of them made any progress.I opened the map and searched south. The nearest big city to Napier is Palmerston North. Few working holidaymakers mentioned this city. It seems to be a somewhat mysterious place!Well, that's it!Pack your bags and go find a job in this new city!
I searched for jobs in Palmerston North through the recruitment website TRADEME. Unexpectedly, there are quite a lot of temporary workers. I selected a few more suitable ones and submitted my resume, including temporary workers in the post office letter processing center. My reason for applying In it, it is written: It is necessary to draw materials for the novel.Unexpectedly, the post office replied soon, inviting me to participate in the interview.

My working holiday has turned a new page.

(End of this chapter)