Spirited Away II: Return to the Spirit Realm

Chapter 22

Mind a-whirl, she took a large stride backward.

"Lin." Heart hammering dramatically, Lin swiveled her head at the direction of her spoken name, and her eyes landed upon the bespectacled ones of the boiler man. A large, gnarly hand stretched out in her direction and fingers marred with age uncurled commandingly at her. "It's all right. It's going to show us the way to Zeniba's; it's from her."

The brunette weasel spirit quirked her eyebrow disbelievingly in reply before letting her stare wander around her. Running off, she soon decided, will be the worst move she possibly could have done. The path was guarded by a misty sea - or was it a swamp? - on both sides, and taking a swim sounded just as unappealing as returning to the bathhouse did. Disappearing into the forest would result in sleeping there overnight ... if she was lucky enough not to get eaten within the first ten minutes. The train have abandoned the area long ago without showing any signs of return - and with it the only mode of transportation in the area, and the thought of walking alongside the tracks forced a bitter glower to darken the weasel spirit's features.

Seeing no other option but to oblige, Lin nodded distractedly and dutifully fell into step behind Kamaji. The path, it seemed, was a camouflaged, narrow tunnel crisscrossing an uncharted woodland, twisting and turning in between the towering oaks. Naked branches snapped whenever a fierce gust of wind blew and successfully ripped out a startled shriek from Lin at the first occurrence. Soon, the weasel spirit found herself grateful for the reliable guide leading them, and she only hoped that Kamaji's assumption about it was correct.

And, as it turned out, he was. After a few minutes of turning, twisting, and peering, the trio finally walked out into what seemed to be a decently empty space of land. The mist was considerably thinner, and it intertwined itself in between a few gray trees sprouting out of the snow-covered earth and thinned over the glittering sea. Inside the half-circle of trees stood a house. The roof of the mysterious dwelling sagged wearily, covered in a thick coating of white. Icicles hung down at the corners, and a few delicate wisps of smoke rose from the chimney before disappearing somewhere into the frigid air.

"This is where Zeniba lives?" Lin asked, plainly surprised. She looked at the land surrounding the house critically.

"Quite a contrast from Yubaba's home, isn't it?" chuckled Kamaji. "But yes, this is Zeniba's place. Chihiro did mention a 'small, cozy cottage,' didn't she?"

"Cozy, though, is not exactly the word I would use," sniffed Lin, crossing her arms over her chest. And she was right. In the background of the still sea, gray mist, naked trees, and frosted ground, Zeniba's dwelling represented more of a haunted house than a welcoming cottage. In fact, Lin was certain that if it wasn't for the smoke drifting out of the chimney and soft firelight seeping through the cracks, she would have mistaken the living house for something abandoned.

When both visitors focused their attention back on their guide, the lamp inclined its glowing head in the direction of the cottage.

Kamaji murmured something unintelligible in reply, bobbed his head in a swift nod, and mirrored his previous bow. Lin forced a polite grin onto her face and dropped her head in a movement similar to her traveling companion's. As her mind recoiled back in memory of her initial behavior, she blushed heatedly and murmured a mental thanks to her concealing curtain of ebony hair.

After bowing out their farewells, the lamp straightened itself, gave a brief nod, and hopped over to the brittle wooden fence marking Zeniba's territory. In one fluid, practiced leap, the lamp reached the wooden arch positioned directly above where a gate should have been and transformed into a lantern hanging from the arch.

Kamaji brought a rough hand to Lin's shoulder and gave her a pointed look the moment her sharp gaze seared his. Lin pressed her lips firmly together, gave him a wordless nod, and the two proceeded to walk up to the entryway of the house. A surge of anticipation swept through Lin's body at the thought of meeting the witch that was none other from Yubaba's twin sister. The breath of the emotion successfully flowered into a swirling hurricane as the visitors stepped up to the threshold, and the only barrier separating them from their destination was a simple rectangular piece of moveable wood.