Chapter One
Chihiro opened her eyes and yawned.
Her day began just the same as any other. She was twenty-six years old and worked happily as the secretary to the Chief Executive Officer at one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country.
And she was ecstatic to realise that today was the first day of a three week holiday, which was her first in four years.
She was going to spend it with her mother and father in her family home, which they had moved to when she was ten years old.
As she lay there thinking of home, the same familiar feeling returned. Since she and her parents had moved into the home where her parents now still lived, she had lived the life of a normal child, then a normal teenager. She had eventually left home to begin a career of her own at the age of twenty-one.
But there had always been something missing. There was a part of her, that no matter how she tried, felt as though she had forgotten something. Something important.
As far as she could recall, her childhood had been much the same as any other much loved only child. At least from the time she had been ten years old. Prior to that, she was embarrassed to admit that she had been quite selfish in her dealings with her parents. She wondered whether moving to the new house had made her ten-year-old self experience an epiphany before she even knew what one was!
When they had moved, she hadn't given any thought to how her parents had felt at moving away from everything they held dear. They had moved because her father had found a better job. Looking back now, she realised that as well as herself having to give up her friends and school and everything that was familiar, her mother and father had had to do the same.
Well, this reminiscing isn't getting me moving any quicker is it, she asked herself wryly.
She rolled out of bed and jumped on her exercise bike for her daily routine. She had packed everything she would need for her trip, the previous night, so she had only to get ready and turn off her appliances then she could make her way to her parents'.
She finished her cycling and jumped into the shower. When she had finished, she looked at her watch and saw that she just had time for some breakfast if she hurried.
Quickly getting dressed and hurrying out of her bathroom, waving the steam from before her, which had accumulated while showering.
She made herself two pieces of toast – not a very traditional Japanese breakfast, but something that was quick to make and ensured that she would not be late and would get to her parents' home at the time she had told them she would arrive.
When she finished, she looked around her to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Picking up the suitcase that she had left by the front door the night before, and the flowers that she had bought for her mother on the way home from work the previous night, she walked out of her spacious apartment.
She put her suitcase in the boot of her small car and walked around to the driver's seat, getting behind the wheel. Before starting the car, she plugged her MP3 player into the small extension cord that allowed her to connect it to her car radio. Searching for a playlist, she smiled as she found the one that she wanted. As the music came through the speakers, she adjusted the rear-view mirror and pulled out into the early morning traffic, her fingers beating unconsciously in sympathy with the tune.
Chihiro had been driving for almost two hours when she reached the familiar side roads, which led to the area where her parents lived.
She smiled as she felt herself relax further as she passed the familiar corn and rice fields on the way. Work had been busy for the last few months and she was glad that her holiday time had finally arrived so that she could go home to her parents.
Living so far away in the city, she didn't get home as often as she would have liked. Though her mother and father did visit her in the city occasionally, she knew that since their retirement that they preferred to live in the country rather than the city. Therefore, their visits were mainly limited to when she visited them at the family home for the odd weekend.
She frowned a little in confusion as she noticed that the small road that led up to her parents' home had become quite overgrown in the time since she had last visited. She slowed down as she passed the familiar statue that was on the side of the road, nestled in the trees.
She frowned again as, instead of the usual continuation of road, she had to come to a sudden stop as a large stone statue blocked her way from continuing on.
Tutting under her breath, she got out of the car, scratching her head in confusion as she wondered whether she had taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way. For, before her, seeming to have arrived out of nowhere, was a red faded building, which housed a dark tunnel that had certainly not been there the last time she had visited.
Shaking her head, she took her mobile phone from her bag and opened it to call her mother; there was no way that her car was going any further, so she had better warn her parents of the delay.
She groaned in disgust as she saw that there was no network reception where she currently was. She walked around a bit, but was still unable to even get one bar to appear on the phone.
She stood indecisively for a while, unsure of what to do, but to her disappointment, realised that there did not appear to be any other cars coming along any time soon.
Ensuring that her car was locked up securely, and her valuables stored in her handbag, she looped it securely over her head and made her way for the tunnel, hoping there would be some kind of communication available on the other side.