Hello!
I'm going to keep this intro short and sweet so we can get to Chihiro's tale!
I'm SeaofYears, I've been writing for ages but never had the guts to post my work. So here I am, trying to step out of my comfort zone. This story has been floating around in my brain for so long and when I last watched Spirited Away, I couldn't shake it this time. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I've been enjoying writing it.
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"I'll miss you Chihiro. Your best friend, Lilly."
"Chihiro...? Chihiro, we're almost there."
My father's voice comes from the front seat, attempting to prod me to look up from the pink flowers Lilly had gotten for me. I'd been alternating between staring at them sullenly and staring blankly out the window.
Lilly is my best friend back home. Her and I have been thick as thieves since we were in diapers. Everything we did, we did together. But now I was moving three hours away. There may as well as have been an ocean separating me from my old life.
Sighing, I tune into my parent's conversation.
"Wow, this really is in the middle of nowhere." Even without looking at her, I know my mother has her brow furrowed with worry. "I'm gonna have to go to the next town to shop."
"We'll just have to learn to like it." Dad sounds unsure, but hopeful. I know he's been stressed with the move but has been excited about this new job opportunity.
"Look, Chihiro, there's your new school. Looks great, doesn't it?" He's been gently urging me to join the conversation for most of the car ride, and while I appreciate his concern, the lump in my throat wasn't quite ready to let me speak.
I was diagnosed with anxiety when I was six and having some semblance of control and order in my life is how I get out of bed every day. It's been twelve years. Twelve long years. Every moment of peace is a moment I've planned for. When my room is sparkling and my books are neatly organized by color, and then alphabetically, I can take a moment to breathe.
When I wake up at 7:15am on the dot, I can pause for another breath before getting up to start my day. Moving three hours away from where I grew up to a big, fat, question mark of a town was NOT part of the plan.
"It doesn't look so bad." Mom chimed in helpfully, pulling me from my dreary thoughts.
Grudgingly, I lean over to the window and look at my new college. Yep. There it is in all its glory. A was a plain concrete building with a fading sign marking it as Sakura Institute.
Lovely.
Rolling my eyes, I look back down to my flowers. They were such a lovely shade of pink but they were starting to wilt from the long drive. Swallowing a few times to dislodge the lump in my throat, I whisper a small, "It looks great."
Way to go, Chihiro. You sound like a sad pancake.
Frustrated, I clear my throat and try again and croak, "What box are the vases in? I need to put my flowers in some water when we get there."
"We'll find you a vase." My mom says. "Don't worry, honey. Now hold onto your card. I'm opening the window. And try to be positive. It's fun to move to a new place. It's an adventure." She says this last part enthusiastically. Like I haven't heard her and dad talking about how they're going to afford living in the city, even with dad's new position.
The wind blows my long brown hair back and I turn my face to the fresh breeze. It's a nice day at least. Taking a deep breath, I settle back into my seat as the car goes quiet. Fifteen minutes later, I'm jolted out of my thoughts when the car starts to shake. Looking out the window I see that we're stopped on a dirt road. Not ordinarily something I would be alarmed about but it was what was on the edge of the road that sends a weird sensation through my limbs.
At least thirty tiny stone houses sit crumbling on the side of the road overwrought with vines. The small black empty windows and doors facing me raise goosebumps to my arms.
Strange. What are those? Bird houses?
"Wait. Did I take the wrong turn? This can't be right." My dad wonders out loud, sticking his head out the window.
"Look, there's our house. It's that blue one on the end." My mom says looking out her own window and up the grassy hill. My dad cranes his neck to look out her window.
"Oh, you're right. I must have missed the turnoff. This road should get us there."
"Honey, don't take a shortcut. You always get us lost." She isn't wrong. We once ended up three towns over because of one of his "shortcuts".
"Trust me. It's gonna work." Even I couldn't suppress a small smile and I exhale a puff of air at his antics. We were about to get so lost.
"Hey Mom, what are those stones? They look like little houses."
"They're shrines." She says, looking down at the creepy stone features. "Some people think little spirits live there."
I stare at them, captivated, until we pull away and I settle back into my seat, accepting my fate.
Alright. Let's get lost.
Getting lost is my dad's specialty. A fact about our life that both amuses me, and makes my stomach knot up with nerves every time he insists on taking his shortcuts. His adamant refusal to ask for directions or simply turn around has been a constant in my life I learned to accept long ago. Though the road seems to be getting rougher, knocking me around the backseat like a ping-pong ball.
"Dad, I think we're lost." Maybe he'll stop when he realizes all of our stuff could break while it's tossed around with me.
"We're fine. I've got four-wheel drive." My comment seems to trigger him a bit since I can hear the engine revving as he pushes the small car faster.
Leaning back into my seat, I hold onto the door handle as I'm tossed around when something out the window catches my eye. A stone statue that seems to have been carved out of a huge piece of rock. It's frozen smile and pupil-less eyes follow my gaze as we wiz past sending a chill down my spine.
Whipping my head back to look out the windshield as we hit a particularly big hole in the road, I see my father hunched over the steering wheel like he's in a race. My mom is holding onto the handle above her head and is starting to panic.
"Honey, slow down! You're gonna kill us!" She screams. A heartbeat later, my dad's yell fills the car. "What's that?!"
My seatbelt catches me as he punches the brakes and we come screeching to a stop. Dust billows around as everyone in the car collectively takes a breath. Almost at the same time, we stick our heads out our windows to look at the giant red building looming over us.
"What's this old building?" My mom asks, staring up at the looming old building.
"It looks like an entrance." He says, almost to himself as he unbuckles his seat belt and exits the car.
"Honey, get back in the car! We're going to be late!" Mom is frustrated but amused. And I'm wondering why we're not making a bigger deal out of his temporary racecar driver status. Rolling my eyes, I unbuckle my seatbelt and carefully set my flowers on the seat next to me.
"Chihiro. Oh, for heaven's sake." Mom is using her warning tone, unfortunately for her, that hadn't dissuaded my curious nature since I was thirteen. She knows I know my own limits better than anyone.
I'll just take a quick peek.
I flash her a small smile as I jog to catch up with dad, who's standing at the entrance rubbing the wall with his palm.
"This building's not old, it's fake. These stones are just made out of plaster."
He and I both freeze as the wind howls around us, lifting my hair and ruffling my clothes. It feels like it's trying to pull us into the tunnel, demanding we enter. A tingle shoots down my spine and the hair on the back of my neck prickles. The air is heavy around the entrance, weighing down my very soul.
"What is it?" My mom asks, walking up behind us.
"Let's go in. I want to see what's on the other side." I know I get my curiosity from dad, and usually with him, I don't mind getting a little lost. We've explored a few of the towns we've gotten lost in together, but a feeling deep in my gut does not agree with him. We don't belong here.
"I think this is a bad idea." I tell them. "It gives me the creeps."
"Don't be such a scaredy-cat, Chihiro." Dad chuckles. "Let's just take a look." He's already walking forward like this had already been decided and I just needed to catch up.
"The movers will get to our house before we do."
Thank you, Mom. A voice of reason.
"It's all right. They've got the keys. They can start without us."
Oh no. No, no, no!
"All right. Just a quick look." She agrees.
"Forget it." I tell them. "Come on, let's just get out of here." My stomach fills with anxiety and it's bubbling up my throat.
"Come on, honey. It'll be fun!" My dad goads as I back up until my legs bump the front of the car.
I look to my right and my blood freezes. It's the same statue from earlier with its wide grin and pupil-less eyes and was a hairsbreadth away from the front bumper. God's, dad almost killed us. Covered in moss and leaves, it stands guard over the entrance...but it has two faces.
One facing the entrance and the other facing away from the buildings. The feeling of being watched, even without standing directly in front of either face, has me instinctively taking a step away from it.
"Chihiro, just wait in the car then." Mom calls out, already turning away to catch up with dad.
"Mom! No!" I yell after her. My frozen blood quickly thaws and turns into a cold sweat while I try and figure out what to do. There's no way I'm sitting in the car so this statue can stare at me while I wait.
I huff angrily as I quickly make the decision to follow and walk to the entrance. My heart is pounding double time. Getting lost and looking at the building is one thing, but actually entering is a completely different story.
You're eighteen, Chihiro. It's time to grow up.
A vague memory of water flows over me, followed by a brief feeling of suffocating. Quickly, I shove it back into a box in the corner of my mind. Stamping a big red DO NOT OPEN sign on it. It's too late though. I can already feel my palms starting to sweat and my knees growing weak. I shake my hands and arms trying to steel myself as I take my first step into the dark tunnel and...nothing.
Lightening doesn't strike me down and the Gods don't shake the Earth. Inhaling deeply, I take another step. Then another. Before I know it, I'm sprinting to catch up with my mother who is quickly disappearing from view in the dark tunnel. I slow down when I approach and, hands shaking, reach out to grip her sweater sleeve like a small child as we move through the darkness.
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