I gazed at the glittering purple hair tie in my hands, silently pondering on memories past.
I smiled quietly as the adventures ran through my head, allowing me to relive them as if it happened yesterday. My mother has forgotten everything about that encounter. The only thing she remembered was coming to a dead end before shortly reaching our new house.
I shifted my gaze from the hair tie to the vast meadow beyond. The grass looks as if it has caught on fire, as the setting sun silhouettes the grass perfectly only lighting up the tips with a bright orange glow. I sometimes wonder what mum would say if I told her what really happened. What really occurred during the small gap in her memory. But I knew her, she would laugh at first and say it was a tale created from my "over-active imagination" and then brush it off.
I bound my now longer brown hair up with the hair tie and sighed, as the first stars start to appear in the darkening sky. I look up to watch them for a little bit, continuing my thoughts about the Spirit World.
I wonder if anyone would even remember me. I mean sure, I was a human which wasn't very common for them , but it has still been a long time since I left. Has a longer time passed in the Spirit World? Does time even exist there?
It has been almost nine years since I returned from the Spirit World. I wonder if I'll ever be able to go back. Will I ever be able to see Lin, Zeniba or even...or even Haku again? I still remember the promise we made the day I left the Spirit World.
"Will we meet again sometime?"
"I'm sure we will."
"Promise?"
"Promise. Now go and don't look back."
I smiled again at this memory and got up to return home.
A large red gate with a long, dark tunnel laid ahead of me. It resembles the entrance gates similar to those from the old amusement parks from the late 1990s. Yet, it's different. It is now covered in layers of vine as the forest before it seems have grown even wilder than the last time.
I looked into the tunnel for a moment before quickly running in and arriving at the other side of it and exiting the building. I looked back and saw that it hasn't changed a bit on the other side, as the building still looked somewhat new and returned my view to the meadow.
A river ran by the stairs, still small enough for me to get across without too much trouble. Although the place was completely empty, I knew I had returned. I watch as the sun slowly begins to set, and the lights in the town turn on and the streets begin to fill with spirits of every kind.
I run through the different streets and alleyways before arriving at the grand bath house just across the small bridge. My smile grows larger as I see Lin and the rest of the crew wave to me and cheer my name. I start to walk across the bridge towards the bath house.
My eyes fly open as I felt my body hit the ground.
Ow...I rub my head as I recover from my fall.
Unfortunately, I had developed a habit of sleep walking as I got older. I look back to find the cause and see a large round stone half buried in the ground. After a closer inspection I figure out that it's the statue that marked the entrance of the tunnel.
It's just like in my dream...the place doesn't seem to have be visited by anyone since we last went there. Though the tunnel is mostly accessible, the gate is covered with vines and the forest has overgrown a lot. It's a miracle that I am still able to find this place night after night even while asleep.
Normally I look on at the tunnel for a little while longer before going back home as to not get in trouble with mum. However, tonight I felt I just had to push on. I quickly crafted a makeshift torch and went through the tunnel.
To my disappointment the other side looked exactly as it did in the day time. No large river with ferries crossing from one bank to another, no lights shining at the town on the other side, not even a single spirit in sight, just the plain meadow with statues and rocks scattered randomly through. I heaved a deep sigh and was about to turn away when a particularly strong wind blew from the direction of the town, blowing out my torch.
Thankfully the stars were very bright this night, so my eyes adjusted quickly as I turn around to see what could have caused such a powerful gust. There was nothing out of the ordinary, no clouds nor any sign of a storm at all. And yet the closer I looked, the more I noticed a figure standing at the edge of the stairs
I walked closer trying to get a better view and see who it could have been. As I got closer it looks like..no...it couldn't be...but that dark hair. There's no mistaking it, and yet I can't believe it.
Is it...?
Author's Note: Hey everyone! This is one of my first fanfictions written in a really, really long time. I would love some feedback on what you guys think of this story. I have about four more chapters already written up and I'm sorry if some of them are kind of short. But I would like to know how it's progressing as a story and any tips or guides to help out would be much appreciated
This is my absolute favourite Studio Ghibli movie of all time and of course, I do not own any of this. All characters and plot line references belong to Spirited Away (C) Studio Ghibli - Hayao Miyazaki
