As you read this, try to imagine what is being described.
A large cliff overlooks the ocean facing the sunrise. A vast plain spreads out behind you as the sea spreads out before you. Off in the distance is a large island connected only to the mainland by a long, concrete bridge. Cars drive lazily along its length as the sun continues to rise above the horizon. The island is covered with the age-old buildings of a Venice-style village, slowly rising in a dome shape that conforms with the shape of the island itself. At the very top of the island in the center of the village stands a massive clock tower which at the moment is chiming six o'clock in the morning. You can hear the bells in the distance as you watch a girl no older than thirteen stand on the edge of the cliff. She is wearing a long, purple dress that stops mid-shin. On her feet she wears what look like ballerina slippers, only brown and worn from years of use. She has brown, shoulder-length hair that is tied up neatly with a large, red bow. Her large, brown eyes gaze off toward the village, taking in the splendor, the wonder of the town below her. In her right hand, she carries a large carpet bag filled with all she'll need to live her life on her own here. In the other, she holds a broom taller than she. A small, black cat sits on the ground near her feet. They meet eyes, and a quick wink from the girl tells the cat all he needs to know. In a fluid motion he leaps from the ground onto her shoulder as she grips the broom with both hands, standing over it with determination on her features. With a last glance at the cat, which seems to nod, she takes a deep breath and breaks into a run. At the last moment, she leaps, yet she doesn't fall. She continues, instead, to rise, higher and higher into the still, crisp morning air. The sight of the village spread out below her takes her breath away and she soars overhead, out of sight of the villagers, in search of her future. The girl's name is Kiki, and as she leaves the cliff in search of a home, she has no idea of the adventure that awaits her within the town's boarders.