The moment Kai stepped off the plane in Australia, warm sunshine wrapped around her like a cozy hug. It was the exact opposite of Hokkaido’s winter—no snow, no heavy coats, just blue skies and golden beaches.
“Kai!” a familiar voice called.
Kai turned to see Nami running toward her, barefoot on the airport tiles. She had the biggest grin on her face.
“You made it!” Nami cheered, giving Kai a tight squeeze.
“Of course I did!” Kai said proudly.
She had packed everything on time, finished her homework, and even made a list of all the things she wanted to do in Australia. No more getting lost in the Maze of Tomorrow!
Or so she thought.
A New Kind of Problem
That afternoon, the girls sprawled out in Nami’s backyard, making plans.
“We can go to the beach, visit the wildlife park, climb the big tree at the park, go snorkeling—” Nami rattled off excitedly.
Kai’s eyes widened. “That’s a lot!”
“Yeah, but we’ve got heaps of time!” Nami said. “Let’s do everything!”
Kai nodded eagerly. She wanted to see it all. But when they started making a plan, something strange happened.
The paper in front of them shimmered. The words twisted, and suddenly—
WHOOSH!
Before Kai could blink, she and Nami were no longer in the backyard. They were floating upside down, drifting through a maze unlike anything Kai had seen before.
Instead of glowing paths, this maze was filled with spinning clocks, bouncing kangaroos, and tangled jungle vines. In the distance, she saw a sign:
The Upside-Down Maze: Where Too Many Plans Get Stuck!
“Oh no,” Kai groaned. “Not again.”
Lost in Too Many Choices
A little green lizard wearing a tiny explorer’s hat scurried up to them. “Welcome to the Upside-Down Maze! I’m Skip. Got a plan yet?”
“We had a lot of plans,” Nami said, frowning. “But now I can’t remember which one we were going to do first.”
Skip chuckled. “That’s how you got stuck here! When you try to do everything at once, nothing gets done.”
Kai sighed. “So we have to find the way out, right?”
“Yep! But first, you need to choose one path to start with.” Skip pointed at three twisting trails:
The Whirlwind Path – Where everything happens all at once.
The Overthinking Trail – Where you plan so much, you never start.
The One-Thing Bridge – Where you pick one thing and go for it.
The Whirlwind Path
Kai and Nami ran down the first trail. Suddenly, everything around them sped up. The beach, the tree climb, the wildlife park—all happening at once!
They tried to snorkel while climbing a tree. They tried to pet a kangaroo while riding a wave. Everything blurred into a spinning mess!
“This… isn’t… working!” Kai gasped.
“Too much!” Nami shouted.
The ground shook, and the path crumbled. They tumbled backward into—
The Overthinking Trail
The girls landed in a giant library with books stacked to the sky. Every book had a title like The Best Way to Plan a Perfect Day or What If We Pick the Wrong Thing?
Kai picked one up, and the pages flipped by themselves. “Wait! This book says we should go to the beach first!”
Nami grabbed another. “But this one says we should meet the koalas first!”
A third book floated past. “And this one says we should just stay home!”
They looked at each other. They weren’t getting anywhere.
“This isn’t helping either,” Kai groaned. “We’re stuck!”
“Maybe we should try One-Thing Bridge,” Nami suggested.
Kai nodded. It was worth a try.
The One-Thing Bridge
As they stepped onto the final path, the world around them settled. A simple wooden bridge stretched ahead, leading to a bright, open field.
A sign overhead read: Pick one, and the rest will follow.
Kai took a deep breath. “Okay. What do we really want to do first?”
Nami thought for a moment. “The beach?”
Kai grinned. “That sounds perfect.”
As soon as they said it, the maze melted away—
WHOOSH!
They landed back in Nami’s backyard, lying on the picnic blanket, the breeze warm and gentle.
“Did that just happen?” Nami asked.
Kai laughed. “I think so. But at least we know what we’re doing first now!”
Nami jumped up. “Then let’s go!”
And with that, the girls grabbed their towels and ran toward the golden sand, leaving the Upside-Down Maze behind… at least for now.
The End (?)
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