Disclaimer – It's on the first chapter
An Explanation
I couldn't help but stare at the elderly woman in front of me; I felt my eyes widen and those same feelings of exhaustion come back. She just looked at me and sighed: she had stopped what she had been knitting and just sat there in her rocking chair with her head down. Then I watched as she began to untie her hair from its bun. I couldn't believe that she could put hair that long into a bun with a single hair tie. Her hair was past her shoulders, and when I say past her shoulders I mean WAY past her shoulders. As I studied her I noticed that she looked stronger and younger than what a typical 70 year old woman acted like. She stood up and all I could do was just sit there.
"After all these years… you came back… I never thought you would…"
I looked up at her and realized she was holding the tie that had bound her hair. It was purple… NO! I wanted to scream, to deny that this… this was really Chihiro… But I didn't, I just sat there for what seemed like an eternity… staring at her while my eyes filled with tears… until I couldn't hold it in any longer and I cried, I cried like the foolish river spirit I am…
"Before you begin to be angry with me I must ask you if you want an explanation."
I looked up and nodded and she began.
"When I came back from the Spirit world I changed. My parents were astounded by the girl, their daughter who had suddenly changed from a whining spoiled brat into a hard working young girl. I never doubted the Spirit world for one moment in my life because you all made me believe in the impossible; you helped me change, to become the kind, unselfish girl that was buried deep within me. Yes, I do admit to being like that because it's true. Working at the bath house, trying to save my parents, meeting Rin, Granny, Kamajii, No face, Yubaba…you… It opened my eyes to the cruelness of reality, seeing how the workers all suffered just to get a small thrill over a small piece of gold…"
She handed me a tissue box and sat down again in her seat.
"After we had moved into our new home I started going to school. The children were kind and I made new friends and I acted like myself which was the best part. I studied hard, got good grades and watched as my parents rejoiced in my new personality. It wasn't until after 3 years that I knew you weren't coming back. I was thirteen… I remember just sitting my room, crying on my bed and muffling sobs with my pillow so mother wouldn't hear. I kept up my grades and as time went by I went from elementary to middle school to high school. I went to university, got a job and worked my brains and body to keep going. I didn't linger on the fact you never came back. Yubaba is a tough cookie. But I went to the Spirit world one day and took the train to Swamp Bottom. It ends up the one year in the Spirit world is equal to ten years in our world, that's why I'm so old…"
"Why didn't Yubaba tell me this?"
"Yubaba simply didn't know about it, Zeniba has knowledge while Yubaba has the bath house and gold. Zeniba knew it was already too late for you so she simply didn't tell Yubaba. I didn't understand at first but then I asked myself a question, why didn't I just stay in the Spirit world with you? Then I realized something, I wouldn't have parents, I'd be forever a slave to Yubaba's cold ways and I'd lose my name, the only thing I'd have left from my parents… I wanted to be with you but I could never love anyone more than my parents…"
She paused after this sentence, looking at me for any sort expression or question.
"I'm glad I came here to find you, I'm glad I got to see you again because I still kept my promise. I'm glad just to see you living your own life and not brooding about some boy you met in a bath house…"
Then it was her turn to cry and my turn to pass her the tissue box. She handed me our picture, the one Kamajii had taken of us just before Chihiro had left. It had ended up that she had secretly snuck her dad's camera from the car and begged Kamajii to take a picture. I began to hand it back to her but she shook her head and placed it back in my hands.
"It's yours to keep to remember me when you go back to the bath house…I had a copy made just in case you would come back… And you did.
"I want to stay with you… I want to be able to spend a bit more time with you, to make up for those 60 years…"
There was a long silence and she spoke.
"Then stay…"