One crisp morning, Chihiro decided to take a walk down through the blossom orchard. It was a beautiful morning and the trees' shadows danced as the wind slowly blew in.
School was over, so Chihiro could finally enjoy a summer without nasty, know-it-all teachers who had bad breath; particularly Miss Yatoson.
She was a horrible teacher. Chihiro thought. I am so glad I won't see her again…well, until next year. Chihiro kept recollecting on moments she had while she was still in school.
"I can't believe a year has already gone by. I'm going to miss Kira…"
Chihiro had made many friends but her best was Kira, a true, honest friend who stuck with her till the end. Chihiro forced a smile.
She was sad her friend wasn't going to be around during the summer. She knew Kira would come back next year, though, so she planned on finding something else to do for the summer.
As the fifteen-year-old girl walked through the seemingly pink forest, she came to a set of stairs. She had wondered off so far, she had no clue where she was.
Anxious to explore she was, so she kept going.
Chihiro kept going up the stone steps, across a brick bridge, and wondered what was next. As she came to the end of the path, she found a shrine. It seemed like a normal shrine.
It was small, wooden, and the roof was painted blue. It seemed cozy and inviting to the young girl so she went inside after looking at the yard.
Wow...this place seems nice. "Hello! Is anybody here? Hello!" Chihiro looked around the room and saw a door at the end of it. She slid the door and walked into a smaller room.
She saw a small white plant on the floor. It looked like a miniature weeping willow.
"What a cute plant. Is it fake?" Chihiro crouched down on the floor and sat next to it. She touched the small tree and felt an aura about it. It was a real plant but somehow different.
"What a strange tree…why is it here anyway? And why…oh…do I feel…so…weak…?"
Chihiro could feel something coming from the little white willow. She looked at it and felt some sort of presence.
Chihiro slowly closed her eyes and felt some one or something pushing her down. She felt herself grow weary and sleepy. Her mind lost sense and she couldn't tell what was happening.
"Where am I…where am I...?" Chihiro then felt like she was being carried off somewhere…to a distant land…or a distant world beneath human feet.