Journey to Rainbow Island by Christie Hsiao

come with them, Yu-ning knew it was time. She grabbed the handle on the control lever, squeezed it, heard a click, and lowered the lever. As she did, the platform again lurched upward several feet, causing many on board to yell out in alarm. Yu-ning reengaged the handle, and the platform stopped moving upward.
    Just then, a young man in his early twenties came running toward the platform and leapt upward, grabbing the edge of the platform with one hand. Women on board shrieked, worried the platform would begin to rise with the man dangling below it. A boy and a woman next to the railing grabbed the man’s arms and helped him climb aboard. The man was shaken, but a smile of joy lit up his face.
    In the commotion, the platform began to sway as it lifted off the ground. “Easy, everyone. It’s like being on a boat—we need to remain steady, and not rock one way or another. Take a deep breath, and here we go!”

Eight

Anteroom
    Y U-NING SLOWLY DISENGAGED the locking mechanism on the platform, which jolted into motion once again. This time, however, the passengers remained calm and steady, and the platform began to move smoothly skyward.
    Yu-ning looked out at the faces of those below—those who chose to stay behind. Some were weeping, knowing instantly once the platform left that they had made a mistake. Others were still scoffing dismissively, as if to convince one another that they were the only sensible people. A hushed silence fell over the platform. Everyone was breathless, not knowing what to expect next. They watched the faces of those below and saw bitterness, confusion, and sadness. Their attention was drawn back to Yu-ning.
    She whispered reverently, “You did it, and now all you have to do is believe.”
    Voices called out, “I believe. I can get to the top!” Everyone on the platform was suffused with yellow, beaming light. It was shining down, covering their entire bodies.
    â€œI don’t know. I’m scared,” a man said, as he nervously looked down at the growing distance below. “Oh no,” he shouted. “It’s too dangerous! We have to get off!”
    He and a panic-stricken woman next to him started to climb over the ropes to jump off the platform, which was now about thirty feet off the ground. Yu-ning moved over to them and gently placed a hand on each of them. “Don’t worry, you only need to believe and trust. Just close your eyes, and in just a few minutes we will be at the top. Everything is fine.” People were taking deep breaths and bowing their heads in prayer, perhaps not even knowing they were intuitively guided to do so.
    â€œAll right,” said the man, holding Yu-ning’s hand. His eyes were closed and he began to feel the platform accelerating. “Oh, it’s working. We are moving skyward!” he exclaimed. When others saw him, they were encouraged too. People looked up and nodded in disbelief. They were traveling ever upward, while at the same time, the platform was accelerating faster. It was as if they were flying above the platform, rather than simply riding it to the top floor.
    Up they went, past the atrium and racing past floor after floor, the city now spreading out before them. They also noticed that the rain clouds were breaking up, as if the lights of the tower were melting them and causing the rain to dissipate. They raced ever higher, the entire city now laid out below them as the sun broke through the clouds to the west. The platform was moving so fast now that people began to have a sense that they were actually flying.
    With no warning, the platform jolted to a stop, and those who had been closing their eyes throughout the journey blinked with amazement at the sight in front of them.
    The platform had emerged from the enclosed glass of the main tower column and was now resting high over the city; the ropes of the pulley fell hundreds of feet downward to a small opening in the roof of the