"Chihiro, can you hear me?

It's Zaniba.

Your friend the river spirit is in the human world. I don't know where he might be, but he may not look like he did when you first met him. My sources tell me that his memory of being the Nigihayami Kohakunushi and of being in the spirit world is gone.

You must find him and make him remember you within one week. If you don't it could be catastrophic for your friend.

Now, Wake Up!"

Chihiro woke in a cold sweat. It was just a dream, she assured herself, trying to shake off the feeling that she was being watched. Haku couldn't be in the human world. Sitting up, she scanned the floor for her slippers, which she coudln't seem to locate. Chihiro stood. Her bare feet hitting the cold wood floor, sent shock waves up through her legs. Rummaging through her drawers, she pulled out a white camisole and chocolate brown sweater. The color suited her, a few shades darker than her waist-length hair. Pulling her hair on top of her head, she fastened it with the band her friends had woven for her so long ago. The hairtie had become a ritual to her. If she ever wore her hair down, she slid the band around her wrist as a bracelet. Finally pulling on a pair of worn-out denim jeans, she headed for the kitchen to make breakfast.

Taped to the rice cooker Chihiro found a note from her parents. They had gone to the market in the next town and would be gone all day. Chihiro began re-heating the rice leftover from dinner the night before, then sat down to read a book in the family room. It was one of her favorites, a British novel titled Howl's Moving Castle.

At first she read, enjoying the complexities of both the language and the tale of the wizard Howl and his enchanted household, but she soon drifted off into a dream world of her own, a place of River Dragons and spirits, talking beasts and magical foods. A world where people turn to animals and the evil witch rules the bathhouse. She was in the spirit world once again, the world where her friends, her true friends, lived. She once again could walk the train tracks to visit Obaa-san and no-face. But her first task was of course to visit Kamaji, the old boiler man. Through the garden and around to the back she ran, quickly descending the familiar stairs which she had to climb on her first visit. As she neared the last stretch of stairs, she ran even faster, landing hard on each step, the old wood creaking under her weight. Her foot slammed down on a step, and the rotting old wood splintered and broke, sending her tumbling into the waters below.

Chihiro sat up quickly, her book clattering loudly to the floor. It was only a dream, nothing more. When she finally regained her composure, she heard the beeping of the timer. Her rice was done. Returning to the kitchen, she fried an egg and ate her rice before preparing onigiri for lunch. Wrapping the nori around each rice ball, she packed them carefully in her bento, a white plastic box decorated with cherry blossoms. She filled the matching thermos with tea and stashed both in her pink canvas backpack. Returning to her room, Chihiro grabbed her sketchbook and pencil bag and headed for the old bridge.

Chihiro wandered quietly through the woods, listening to the activity of the creatures who lived there. She was on her way to the old bridge she had discovered on one of her many expeditions to find the gate to the Spirit World. The bridge, an old and somewhat unstable creation of rope and wood was the only way to cross a particular gorge carved by the river centuries before. Across the gorge, however, was a marvelous field, a nearly perfect circle of fresh green grass bordered by small flowers. It was a fairy ring of sorts, with only a few young trees growing near its outer edges. A perfect place for a picnic and even more perfect for drawing.

Carefully she made her way across the bridge, stepping near the outer edgeds of the boards, keeping her weight centered for fear of the bridge flipping over, sending her plunging down into the rapids below. Partway across, she stepped on a strangely colored board. With a sickening crack the board split, Leaving Chihiro little more than a moment before she fell. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the rope. For several moments she dangled above the water, trying in vain to pull herself back up onto the bridge. Soon it became hard to maintain a grip on the rope. Fumbling for a board, she dropped the rope and fell.

Bracing herself, she prepared for an impact which never came. Instead, she felt something grab her arm and a voice calling her.

"Sen!"

Well, I haven't deviated much from the first version yet, although the writing is significantly better. It scares me how underdeveloped my writing abilities used to be. Two years from now I'll probably think the same thing about my writing now. Ah the embarrassment that comes with age.

Reviews are encouraged, loved, ect. Flames are perfectly welcome as well. It make me happy to know that if nothing else my writing has inspired a new bit of stupidity in the world, even if that isn't it's true cause. So here are your rewards for reviewing.

Nice review: You get a smiley

Constructive review: you get a teaser for the next chapter

Flame: you get a burnt marshmallow or a clever retort

No review: an orange juice and mint toothpaste smoothie frozen and coated with tomato paste, pickle juice, white vinegar, and goat milk, then rolled in confectioner's sugar, grated cheese and curry powder with curdled milk and melted shortening to drink.