Earthquake !

The sensual pleasure of the hot springs was a great luxury but Debbi could not relax fully as the young Japanese guys began to invade her personal space. They were talking to each other across her and needless to say, she could not comprehend a word they were saying. Then one of the seniors in the pool spoke sharply and forcefully to them and , deferring to his authority, they moved back to the far side of the baths. Debbi smiled her thanks to the older man who nodded respectfully. She watched as some of the men left the baths to wash, rinse and return and she recalled that this was part of the procedure that Ken had explained. Being in the water had provided a certain amount of cover but getting out again to wash was once more an exposing business and she sensed that her every movement was under intense scrutiny, the useless towel providing little cover. Debbi tried to carry out these ablutions as discretely as possible, however, and returned to enjoy her second soak, hoping that Ken the interpreter would not be much longer.

The other bathers were now keeping a respectful distance and she laid back and began to fully appreciate the experience. But then her reverie was rudely interrupted. It felt as if the earth was moving beneath her. That was because the earth was moving underneath her ! The water began to churn and the overhead canopies to the outdoor pool began to shake. An alarm started to sound. The other bathers jumped from the pool and gestured frantically to her to follow them. Debbi grabbed her tiny towel, frustrated to see that suddenly the men all seemed to have robes. She could not ask where they got them from and wanted to head to the locker room for her clothes but the men stopped her and led her with them through an emergency exit and into the car park. The employees of the baths were assembling in the car park too, which also seemed to be the designated spot to gather for those in the adjoining office building. The ground was still distinctly unstable.

By now, Debbi understood that it was an earthquake, something she had never experienced but which was a commonplace in Japan and did not necessarily signal a disaster. The fault lines were the very reason that there were hot springs here in the first place. She quickly became an obvious focus of attention. All she could do was hold the small towel in front of her crotch. It was not even big enough to wrap around and cover her bum fully and her tits remained on display. "Does anyone speak English ? Does anyone have a coat or a blanket ?" she wailed plaintively. But all she received were blank stares.

Nobody seemed inclined to risk re-entering any of the buildings yet. Debbi intuited that they needed building inspectors or the fire authorities to give the all clear. Where was Ken ? He could be delayed anywhere in the chaos caused by the quake. Debbi was starting to feel cold in the autumn air. She took stock of her **** situation. To all intents and purposes naked. Cold and with the stony car park biting into her bare feet. No money, no ID, unable to communicate effectively with any of the people around her. Why wasn't anybody offering her something to cover herself instead of them all taking bloody photos ?