Lynn, I gotta hand it to you. You did a fantastic job of capturing and conveying what it's like to experience being lost!
This story just caused my heart to speed up as I recalled one of the worst experiences of of my entire life!! Several years ago I left my phone on a tour bus while traveling alone in another country. Then I got separated from the group when we visited a large multi-level art museum. Needless to say, it went downhill from there! I won't bore you with the details, but it was so frightening, I still have nightmares about that situation.
Fortunately, I did have phone numbers, money, etc. But I was astounded at how little most people, including the ones who spoke my language, were willing to help. Not even the police would allow me to use the phone or make a call for me!