Chapter 2 - Train Rides
Selenity leaned her head back on the train's plush seats. There was no one on the train now, she was the only one left. She recalled her grandmother's words, '...and ask to go to Swamp Bottom. It will be the sixth train stop. There find Zaneba, she will help you.'
Selenity, or Rini as her friends called her, shook her head at the events that had transpired for her to be on this remarkable train. She had learned a lot about her past, about her mother and father, even about who she was.
Rini passed her mind back to just after she had left her grandmother's room, holding the precious box in the small satchel she had round her shoulder. She had met her uncle, her father's older brother, in the hallway, and he had leered at her. She had never liked her uncle, or her cousins. On more than one occasion, her uncle and cousins had tried to kiss her or touch her, but she had always managed to get away. Now she knew how. Her Spirit side had protected her, unconsciously, and without her even knowing about it. Feeling a small sense of panic, she had run, blindly down the stairs and out the door.
With her grandmother's words ringing in her ears, '...and take the deserted road, off into the forest, past the stone sentinel, till you find a red tunnel, with a smaller stone sentinel in front. Walk through the tunnel, don't look back, and exit the other side.'
She had found the tunnel all right. And walked through it. And she didn't even know why she was so. She found herself in a large building, which looked like a large train station, and had walked out the other side.
More of her grandmother's words came to her '...there walk up to the houses and huts on the ridge, and wait for dusk at the bridge. When dusk comes, you will start to fade, but do not be alarmed. Open the locket, inside you will find a spirit berry. You must eat it, for if you don't eat something from the Spirit World, you will fade away. Even though you are part Spirit, you are still part human. Once you find Zaneba, on your 17th birthday, she will fully awaken your Spirit side, and you will be safe.'
She had felt a small sense of panic when she saw herself fading away, but she had kept her head and opened the locket. Inside was a small red berry. She had taken it and eaten it, grimacing at the taste. She watched herself come back into focus.
*All right, because everything grandma has said has come true, and because I have no other choice, I think I'll keep going,* she thought, *Now what was it she said? Ahh, yes, '...when you see the spirit guests coming over the bridge, take a few deep breaths, then hold your breath and walk over the bridge. You must not breathe while you do this. If you do, you will break the spell, and they will know you are a human. You should be able to enter the small door that leads to the outside garden. Only then can you take a breath...'*
When the guests started to file over the bridge, Rini had begun to hyperventilate, silently thanking her swimming instructor, and held her breath going over the bridge. She passed a small green talking frog, who had sniffed the air suspiciously, but then she was in the small door and in the garden, which true to her grandmother's word, was there.
'...go out the door, and down the stairs, to the boiler room. There talk to Kamajii, and ask for the train tickets he has acquired. He will ask for a token, a proof, before he will give you the tickets. Give him the star-candies for the sootballs. Rin, a good friend will come down soon, talk to her as well, and give her one newt. Then leave. Tell them not where you are going, nor your name, for if the Master comes, he will be able to wrest the information from them. Go down to the train station, and when the conductor comes, he will immediately know you are human. Give him the last newt, and he will let you on...'
Rini laid her head back, *Who is this mysterious Master, the one that I must avoid till I ask Yubaba for a job? I wonder if he is a kind Master.*
The conductor came over to her, and said, "Here is your stop, mi'lady."
"Thank you." Rini got up and walked off onto the platform. She looked around, and saw the train leaving. She noticed a light moving through the woods up ahead. She waited a while, then called out, "Hullo? Is there anyone there?"
A black shadowy man with a white mask and a lit lantern bouncing on a long arm and hand came into view.
"You know," Rini said to no one in particular, "A few hours ago I'dve thought that really strange," she looked carefully at the shadowy man, "Are you No Face?"
The shadowy man looked at her and held out his hand. She reached up and took the purple beaded hair tie from around one of her plaits. As usual, her hair began to unravel itself. It wasn't that her hair was alive, it was just that silky, that smooth, that any tangles or twists just fell straight out. She showed the shadowy man the band, and he nodded and motioned for her to follow him. She moved after him, retying her hair, as the lantern bounced along the path and illuminating their way.
After a while, they came to a small cottage. The lantern hopped up and hooked itself above the arched gate. She stepped though, and the shadowy man opened the door. She took a deep breath, and saying, "Here goes nothing," she stepped though the door, knowing that now, there was no turning back.