" Hanako!" Chihiro screamed, " We have to go NOW!"
" I'm not doing anything!" Hanako cried back, " There's something in front of me. A wall or something!" Chihiro frowned and looked back. Hanako was pressed against a wall, an invisible barrier. Chihiro examined it quickly. She reached out tried to touch it. She, however, could not. Her hand went right through followed by a few ripples. Chihiro panicked and looked around. Picking up a block of stone, she cried back to Hanako,
" Stand back." She chucked the piece of rock, hoping it would brake the barrier. The stone flew towards the wall and when strait through. Hanako leaped aside as the stone landed with a thump. Chihiro began to pant.
" What'll we do?" She asked. Chihiro sat down. She put her hands on the grass. They felt cold and moist. It was a funny feeling for grass. A beep came from Hanako's watch.
" Oops. Forgot to turn that off." Hanako smiled and pressed a button. Chihiro stared at Hanako. Her eyebrows went up. She quickly sat up and looked west. The sun had gone done. The grass under her shoes was getting softer and weaker. All the lanterns in the restaurants were being lit. Chihiro rushed to step onto the paved road as the grass had already began to transform into water. She watched hopelessly as the lake began to form. Hanako looked at the lake. She stood there stunned.
" Why is there a lake here Chihiro?" She asked. Chihiro looked at her. She didn't say anything for a second. Then looked back at the lake.
" It's a long story." She said, "I'll explain later. Right now we have to go find Haku."
"Haku? I thought he was a figment of your imagination."
" Trust me. My imagination isn't that good." Chihiro started to walk towards the bathhouse, making sure to keep hidden. Hanako asked her a few questions, but she refused to answer any. They continued walking until they came to the bridge.
" Follow me." Chihiro said, " And hold your breath until we get to the other side of the bridge. I hope this works." Chihiro reached out to grab Hanako's hand. She didn't feel anything. Nothing but air. Chihiro began to sweat as she turned around.
" Hanako?" She asked, " I told you to follow." She trailed off. There was Hanako standing right behind her. She looked pail and frightened.
" Ch-Chihiro?" She asked, " How do you feel?"
" F-fine." She replied, " I was just making sure you were behind me." Hanako stared at her. Not inching from her position.
" What's the matter?" Chihiro asked, " Come on. Holding your breath isn't hard. The bridge isn't that long." She reached out to once again take her hand. Instead, she found her hand trembling, on the other side of Hanako's body. Chihiro looked at herself. She was fading fast.
" What'll we do?" she asked. Chihiro looked around for something edible. Nothing. She found nothing. Not a scrape of anything. She bent down and began to sulk. She had been out of the Spirit world to long. She would soon vanish if she didn't engulf anything from this world. " Oh Hanako!" She cried, " This is all my fault."
Hanako bent down to comfort her. She could she that Chihiro was disappearing. She got up and looked around for something or someone to help. A black haired boy came walking from the corner. He held a round object. Cherry red it was. He bent down close to Chihiro. Chihiro looked up and her tears soon dried. The strange boy gave her the sphere and Chihiro was soon out of ghost form. She stood up and embraced the boy. Hanako opened her mouth to speak. Yet she was speechless. Chihiro turned to Hanako with a smile. And said,
" Hanako, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Haku. You know the dragon- boy I told you about?" Hanako looked at him and replied, weakly,
" Hello.. Nice to meet you." Haku reached into a pocket and pulled out another red sphere. He reached toward Hanako.
" Here, eat this." He said, " If you don't eat something from this world, You'll disappear." Hanako looked at the boy, then shook her head.
" It's ok." She said, " I'm not fading. I think I'll be ok." She reached out and closed Haku's hand. Surprisingly, her hand did not intersect with Haku's. It stade in visible form. Haku stared at her. Like she said, she was not vanishing. Hanako looked back at Haku and smiled.
" Is there something wrong?" She asked.
" Is this your first time here, in the Spirit world that is?" Haku asked.
" Yes. What? The Spirit world? I don't understand"
" That's bizarre." Haku didn't know what to say. She wasn't vanishing. What might have caused this behavior? He turned around. Chihiro looked at him with inpatient eyes.
" Is something wrong?" She asked.
" Not wrong." Haku replied, " Bizarre. Your friend Hanako here shouldn't have eaten anything from this world right? Then she should have started to fade." Haku looked back. Hanako was on her knees looking at something.
" Oh, hello there." she said. She was looking at a green spiked ball. It looked like a cactus.
" Don't touch" Haku shouted. Hanako backed away just in time to see it explode. Dust flew everywhere. She stared stunned. Then turned around and asked,
" Do all plants here do that" Haku smiled. He helped her up and said,
" No. Most of them don't."
" What was that?" Chihiro asked.
" I don't know." Haku replied. "They just recently appeared around the area. Come one. We should get you into the bathhouse." Haku walked slowly in one direction. Then signaled the girls to follow. Chihiro and Hanako followed behind him. Half puzzled half bewildered.
" I'm not doing anything!" Hanako cried back, " There's something in front of me. A wall or something!" Chihiro frowned and looked back. Hanako was pressed against a wall, an invisible barrier. Chihiro examined it quickly. She reached out tried to touch it. She, however, could not. Her hand went right through followed by a few ripples. Chihiro panicked and looked around. Picking up a block of stone, she cried back to Hanako,
" Stand back." She chucked the piece of rock, hoping it would brake the barrier. The stone flew towards the wall and when strait through. Hanako leaped aside as the stone landed with a thump. Chihiro began to pant.
" What'll we do?" She asked. Chihiro sat down. She put her hands on the grass. They felt cold and moist. It was a funny feeling for grass. A beep came from Hanako's watch.
" Oops. Forgot to turn that off." Hanako smiled and pressed a button. Chihiro stared at Hanako. Her eyebrows went up. She quickly sat up and looked west. The sun had gone done. The grass under her shoes was getting softer and weaker. All the lanterns in the restaurants were being lit. Chihiro rushed to step onto the paved road as the grass had already began to transform into water. She watched hopelessly as the lake began to form. Hanako looked at the lake. She stood there stunned.
" Why is there a lake here Chihiro?" She asked. Chihiro looked at her. She didn't say anything for a second. Then looked back at the lake.
" It's a long story." She said, "I'll explain later. Right now we have to go find Haku."
"Haku? I thought he was a figment of your imagination."
" Trust me. My imagination isn't that good." Chihiro started to walk towards the bathhouse, making sure to keep hidden. Hanako asked her a few questions, but she refused to answer any. They continued walking until they came to the bridge.
" Follow me." Chihiro said, " And hold your breath until we get to the other side of the bridge. I hope this works." Chihiro reached out to grab Hanako's hand. She didn't feel anything. Nothing but air. Chihiro began to sweat as she turned around.
" Hanako?" She asked, " I told you to follow." She trailed off. There was Hanako standing right behind her. She looked pail and frightened.
" Ch-Chihiro?" She asked, " How do you feel?"
" F-fine." She replied, " I was just making sure you were behind me." Hanako stared at her. Not inching from her position.
" What's the matter?" Chihiro asked, " Come on. Holding your breath isn't hard. The bridge isn't that long." She reached out to once again take her hand. Instead, she found her hand trembling, on the other side of Hanako's body. Chihiro looked at herself. She was fading fast.
" What'll we do?" she asked. Chihiro looked around for something edible. Nothing. She found nothing. Not a scrape of anything. She bent down and began to sulk. She had been out of the Spirit world to long. She would soon vanish if she didn't engulf anything from this world. " Oh Hanako!" She cried, " This is all my fault."
Hanako bent down to comfort her. She could she that Chihiro was disappearing. She got up and looked around for something or someone to help. A black haired boy came walking from the corner. He held a round object. Cherry red it was. He bent down close to Chihiro. Chihiro looked up and her tears soon dried. The strange boy gave her the sphere and Chihiro was soon out of ghost form. She stood up and embraced the boy. Hanako opened her mouth to speak. Yet she was speechless. Chihiro turned to Hanako with a smile. And said,
" Hanako, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Haku. You know the dragon- boy I told you about?" Hanako looked at him and replied, weakly,
" Hello.. Nice to meet you." Haku reached into a pocket and pulled out another red sphere. He reached toward Hanako.
" Here, eat this." He said, " If you don't eat something from this world, You'll disappear." Hanako looked at the boy, then shook her head.
" It's ok." She said, " I'm not fading. I think I'll be ok." She reached out and closed Haku's hand. Surprisingly, her hand did not intersect with Haku's. It stade in visible form. Haku stared at her. Like she said, she was not vanishing. Hanako looked back at Haku and smiled.
" Is there something wrong?" She asked.
" Is this your first time here, in the Spirit world that is?" Haku asked.
" Yes. What? The Spirit world? I don't understand"
" That's bizarre." Haku didn't know what to say. She wasn't vanishing. What might have caused this behavior? He turned around. Chihiro looked at him with inpatient eyes.
" Is something wrong?" She asked.
" Not wrong." Haku replied, " Bizarre. Your friend Hanako here shouldn't have eaten anything from this world right? Then she should have started to fade." Haku looked back. Hanako was on her knees looking at something.
" Oh, hello there." she said. She was looking at a green spiked ball. It looked like a cactus.
" Don't touch" Haku shouted. Hanako backed away just in time to see it explode. Dust flew everywhere. She stared stunned. Then turned around and asked,
" Do all plants here do that" Haku smiled. He helped her up and said,
" No. Most of them don't."
" What was that?" Chihiro asked.
" I don't know." Haku replied. "They just recently appeared around the area. Come one. We should get you into the bathhouse." Haku walked slowly in one direction. Then signaled the girls to follow. Chihiro and Hanako followed behind him. Half puzzled half bewildered.