Chapter Text
Chihiro exhaled into the crisp night air, and clasped her hands together. The humble shrine was dimly lit, by little red lanterns that quivered in the breeze. She mumbled her wish for the New Year into her scarf. She squeezed her eyes shut, as if it made her prayer more likely to be answered. It had been to no avail, for eight years had passed. She had stood at the same shrine, at the same date, desperately searching for something that was lone gone. The winds started to pick up and she shivered. “Please, this year, may my prayer be answered.” She sighed and shoved her hands into her coat pockets. She gave the shrine one last glance as she trudged off back home.
The streets were brimmed with laughter, people getting their good fortunes for the year. The chatter and liveliness, felt like a dig at her. Chihiro scoffed at them, bitter that her eight year long prayer had been ignored. She nestled into her scarf for warmth as she walked, and imagined the heat from the bathhouse tubs that used to radiate onto her skin. The humidity and pressure, the hot floorboards and sweat. She sneezed, and her memory was dashed into the winter wind.
As she passed the houses on her road, she glanced into the windows. Golden light filtered through, as families gathered, celebrating the coming of the New Year, adding to the hubbub of the festivities. She reached her house on the top of the hill, and let herself in quietly. Her parents were asleep on the living room floor, in front of the TV that was still blaring on. Chihiro grabbed some of the blankets on the sofa, draped them over them and switched off the television.
She then crept upstairs and began to change into her pajamas. All the while, staring out of her window at the forest where the old theme park she explored was. The night was still, save for the wind that tousled the branches of the trees hauntingly. Chihiro sat by her window, feeling defeated and melancholic. She opened her window up and listened to the breeze brushing against the forest. Tendrils of her hair grazed her skin and she began to get goose bumps, but continued to gaze longingly off into the distance. She slumped against the window sill, her eyes drooping to a close. Between the trees, a flash of white that sped through the brush caught her closing eyes, and she jumped up.
Chihiro narrowed her eyes to search for the movement. Only the trees swaying sadly. She regained her position slumped on the window sill, wound up. “Why am I doing this to myself?” She held her head in her hands and sighed deeply. She walked over to her bed and settled under the covers. The clock read 1AM and she closed her eyes, and prayed for the small miracle of slumber to wash over her.
It was short lived. She awoke to a faint tapping at the window. She checked the clock. 2AM. So not even the sleep spirits would grant her the benefit of being unconscious. She stood up and checked the window, it must have been the wind rattling it. She shut the window and got back into bed and turned to the wall. “Come on, let me sleep please.”
“Uh.” Chihiro’s head shot up from the sound. She looked around frantically.
“I really need some sleep, this is going to drive me crazy.” Chihiro laid her head back down on her pillow. “Everyone already thinks I’m losing it, I really am. Maybe it would be best to move away.”
Stubborn to leave behind her childhood memories and dreams, she had remained with her parents in their house on the hill. Her school friends has all dispersed into the city, looking for their lives there, yet Chihiro remained loyal, in her mind. To everyone else, foolish and immature.
“Come on Chihiro, don’t you want to fly off into the big wide world and experience something real for a change?” Her father would always push at her.
“Chihiro, your father is right” Her mother would chime in “You don’t want to be cooped up here forever.”
Chihiro was happy in her cooped up life, watching the forest and wishing every year for the same things. Eighteen, no future, just wasting her years on some stupid fortunes.
“Uh, uh.” Chihiro shot back up.
“If its Dad, I’m going to kill him.” Chihiro tiptoed across her room and pulled open the door to see no one.
“Maybe it’s the house? It is pretty old” she told herself. “But maybe I’ll just have a look to see.” She wandered down the stairs, the house still and shrouded in shadow. She poked her head through the living room door, her parents’ figures still lying on the floor, both snoring. Like pigs. Chihiro giggled. “Maybe it was them I could hear.” She turned away and walked towards the stair case.
The streetlights illuminated the streets and spread their orange glow through her front door’s window. But a round shadow was cast across the faint light. Chihiro gasped and held her hands over her mouth. She advanced slowly towards the door, creeping closer. Too afraid to even look through the peep hole, she slowly opened the door and stuck her head around the corner.
Up close a mask of white peered back at her, she screamed and fell backwards. A black hand reached out for her and she scrambled back, ready to scream for help.
“Uh.”
The shadow walked into the house and looked at Chihiro curiously. Chihiro looked back up, to see a familiar face. Or lack of one.
“N-no face?” They nodded and floated closer.
No Face reached for Chihiro and placed their hands onto her hair and started patting.
“What are you looking for?” No Face kept patting at the lengths of her hair looking for something. Then it struck her, Chihiro began to tie her hair up into a pony tail, with her jewelled purple hair band made long ago.
Then No Face began to nod happily. “Uh!”
“That’s what you wanted huh?” No Face grabbed her hands and pulled her outside.
“C-chihiro…?” A voice meekly called from the living room.
“Oh crap.” Chihiro realised her scream must have disturbed her parents. She walked over to the door and saw her father tossing and turning. Dreaming. That was a close one, Chihiro thought.
She turned back to No Face. “Please wait here! I’ll be right back.”
No Face nodded and stayed by the door as she rushed upstairs to put some clothes on. She pulled her grey knit jumper over her head and her black jeans. She ran back down the stairs and put on her trainers.
“Okay No Face, lets go.” No Face nodded again in confirmation and dragged Chihiro by the arm and shot off into the night.
This felt familiar, the first time she met…
“Wait! No Face slow down, where are we going?”
No Face was speeding through the empty streets and the street lights began to flicker on and off. It was only 2AM, people should still be out, but there was no life to be seen. Chihiro tried to pull herself out of No Face’s grasp, but he held on tightly.
”No Face!! Stop!”
No Face came to a halt and Chihiro tripped up. They were in front of the Theme Park entrance. The red plaster walls were covered in vines and moss. Looking more and more like ruins forgotten to time. She reached out to touch the crumbling building, and she rested her face against the cold surface of the plaster.
“No. No. This can’t be.” She slapped her cheeks and rubbed her eyes. “This is a dream!! It’s all a dream! I just need to wake up!”
She shook her head and yet No Face remained and the towering building still stood over them. Chihiro checked her watch and the hands had completely stopped. Time had stopped flowing.
“Whats going on?!”
No Face beckoned her closer to him, she slowly walked over and held his hand. A light started to emit from his hands, then lots of golden orbs of light began to appear. Chihiro stood astounded, watching the lights dance around them. If this is a dream, then let me have this, just once, she thought.
“Hello? Chihiro?” Chihiro snapped out of her thoughts and looked at a shining orb in front of her with a wrinkled old woman staring back at her. Her bulbous nose obscuring most of her features.
“Granny?”
“Of course it’s your Granny! I’ve been worried sick! Where’s my letters? How would I know if you were okay?! That boy Haku is useless at letting me know how you’re doing?” She squawked.
“Haku? Haku is here?”
“Aw! Look at you all grown up, and you still have that hair band. I’m glad you kept it safe.”
“Granny, you said something about H-”
“I told No Face not to worry, but you know what they’re like, they pace around like anything, I don’t know how I get any work done.”
“Granny!!” Chihiro snapped.
“You don’t need to shout Chihiro I can hear you fine.”
“What’s going on? I need answers!”
“So No Face hasn’t got you up to speed? Drats. When you want something done you’ve got to do it yourself!” Zeniba rolled up her sleeves and pressed her wizened hands together.
The small light of Zeniba began to grow, bigger and wider as Chihiro and No Face stepped back to give it room. The orb began to shape itself into a mould of Zeniba, as if she were right there.
She cleared her throat. “Okay Chihiro. You won’t like this. The Spirit World, it’s weakening.”
“What do you mean?”
“I cannot tell you this all, it is better if I show you.”
“Okay, well show me now!”
“Not yet dear” Zeniba shook her head. “Tomorrow is the night of the full moon, you shall know then. But for now be on your guard Chihiro.”
The image twinkled and started to fade away.
“Granny wait!! I still don’t know-!” And by then Zeniba had vanished.
Chihiro looked around for No Face, they were gone too. She stood alone in the deserted wilderness in twilight. Chihiro checked her watch and it read just after 2AM.
“What the heck is going on?“ She cried out, and the black tunnel echoed her confusion back to her.
She ran her hands through her hair and looked back at the entrance. It stood, strong, unwavering and dark. She looked up into the sky, and the moon, covered by dusty grey clouds, was waxing to full. “Tomorrow then.“ She spoke softly. Chihiro hurried off home, shivering in fright and cold.