Meeting Haku

Four-year-old Chihiro was excited. She, her best friend Rumi and her parents were going to have a picnic by the Kohahu River. The little girl was so excited that she could hardly sit still in her car seat. Rumi was also excited. She, too, could hardly sit still in her car seat.

"Relax, girls." Chihiro's mother, Yuko, told them from the passenger seat. "I know you two are excited. Don't worry, we're almost there."

"YAY!" The two girls cheered, a little too loud. They were so loud that Akio, Chihiro's father, almost lost control of the steering wheel.

"Not so loud, kids." He warned them. "I need to focus on getting us there first."

"Yay!" Chihiro and Rumi cheered again, quieter this time.

"Mommy?" Chihiro asked.

"Yes, Chihiro?" Her mom said back.

"Is the river really a dragon?"

"That's what the legend says." Rumi was confused.

"I don't get it." She spoke. "How can a river be a dragon?"

"Haku is a river dragon."

"What's a river dragon?"

"He's the river god that takes the form of a river and the form of a dragon." Both girls were intrigued by this. "But he hasn't been in his dragon form for decades."

"How come?" Chihiro questioned.

"Because he didn't feel the need to change. The last time he changed was when people were polluting the river." The girls were disgusted by this.

"Polluting? Yuck! That's bad, right?"

"That's correct. They say that he scared the polluters so much as a dragon that people would never pollute the river or any body of water in all of Japan, ever again. It's all thanks to Haku that our rivers, lakes, streams and ponds are clean and free from trash."

"YAY!" The kids cheered loudly again. Once again, Akio had to quickly regain control of the steering wheel.

"Indoor voices!" He warned them again.

"Sorry, Daddy." Chihiro apologized.

"Yeah, sorry." Rumi also apologized.

"How about we all play the quiet game until Chihiro's dad parks the car?" Yuko said,

"Okay!" Chihiro and Rumi agreed and remained quiet for the rest of the trip.

"We're here, kids." Akio announced as soon as he parked the car in the parking lot. Yuko looked back at the two girls.

"You two can talk now." She told them. Rumi sighed in relief. So did Chihiro.

"Not talking was hard!" Rumi complained.

"Yeah!" Chihiro agreed. "Every time I wanted to talk, I couldn't because of the game. I think I dislike this game."

"Me too!"

"Okay, girls." Yuko told them. "Stay seated. Mr. Ogino and I are coming to get you, and then the fun can truly begin."

"YAY!" The girls screamed again, causing Akio to flinch. Chihiro saw this.

"Quiet, Rumi." She told her. "Daddy doesn't like it."

"Oh, sorry." Rumi said.

"It's alright, kids." Akio said. "I guess that is what I get for taking two energetic four-year-olds to a picnic by the Kohaku River for the very first time."

Once they were unbuckled, the girls ran off. The adults had to run to keep up.

"Hold on, girls!" Yuko called after them. "No running! Be wary of cars!"

When they crossed the road, they saw a sign telling the legend and history of the Kohaku River. There also was a model of Haku, in his dragon form, resting on a pillar before the plaque. Yuko read the plaque to the girls as Rumi caressed Haku's green, teal mane. The dragon also had chicken feet, long whiskers that were the same color as his white body and two long horns on his head. Chihiro hid behind her mom.

"So this is Haku as a dragon?" Chihiro wanted to know, a little fear in her voice.

"That's correct, Chihiro." Akio told his young daughter.

"Dragons are so cool." Rumi observed. "He looks like he'll be good to have around. I think I'll be so safe around him."

"This park does too." Yuko put in. "That's why he's here as a river, to watch over this place and protect it from danger. As long as he's here, this park is safe." Rumi was intrigued by this. She looked at her friend.

"Chihiro, imagine if we met Haku in his dragon form. That'll be awesome!" Chihiro shook her head.

"He looks scary!" She cried.

"He may look scary." Yuko said. "But once you get to know and bond with him, you'll learn to love him over time." Chihiro shook her head again.

"He still looks scary!"

"Who's hungry for some lunch?" Akio asked, changing the subject. The girls both smiled from ear to ear.

"Me!" They both said at the same time and they both followed the adults.

As soon as they found a picnic table next to the river and a bridge, they all sat down on the long benches, and took out their Bento boxes. Each box had rice, edamame, potato salad, watermelon and onigiri inside. The girls also had bottles of watermelon soda while the adults had their own drinks. Chihiro dug into her food.

"Slow down, Chihiro." Her mother told her. "Don't eat too fast."

"Yeah." Her dad added. "If you eat too fast, you'll turn into a pig." His wife nudged him.

"Akio!" She chided him. "Don't scare her!" Chihiro stopped eating and looked at her dad, frightened.

"That's not true, is it?" She wanted to know. Her dad grinned.

"No; I'm just kidding." Chihiro looked annoyed at this.

"That wasn't funny, Daddy! I was really scared!"

"Sorry."

"Even I knew your daddy was lying." Rumi put in.

"But you still need to slow down and chew slowly." Yuko said. Chihiro looked at her mother and nodded.

"Okay, Mommy. I will."

"I'm going to look at the river." Rumi said when done with her lunch.

"Me too!" Chihiro said.

"Uh, why don't you girls play at the playground while Mr. Ogino and I put these stuff away?" She gestured to the playground nearby. It's right over there."

"We will." Rumi said to her. "But we want to see the river first!"

"I don't know." Yuko said. "I don't want you two to fall in."

"If we do, Haku will save us." Chihiro looked at her friend.

"I don't know." She told her. "What if he doesn't?" Rumi looked at her.

"Haku won't let us drown, Chihiro. He's too good and awesome for that." Chihiro sighed.

"I don't know about that."

"I'm still uncertain about letting two little girls go near the river by themselves." Yuko said.

"Please!" Rumi begged. "We promise to be really, really careful!" She nudged Chihiro when she saw that she wasn't begging with her.

"What? I want to go to the playground. We can go see the river later with Mommy and Daddy." Rumi sighed.

"Don't be a baby." Chihiro got mad.

"I'm not a baby!" She snapped. "I just don't want to go to the river without Mommy and Daddy."

"Let them go if they want." Akio told his wife. "After all, it's not like we're too far away from them. The river is just over there." Yuko looked at the river and sighed. She looked back at the girls.

"Alright." She declared. "You two can go, but just be careful and don't stand or sit too close, alright?"

"We won't." Rumi said. She looked at Chihiro. "Come on, Chihiro. Let's go!"

"But I don't want…" Chihiro started. Rumi sighed.

"Being a baby again." Chihiro grew mad again.

"I'm not a baby! I'm coming!" With that, she followed her friend closer to the Kohaku River.

Rumi sat down on the bridge, her feet dangling above the roaring river. Chihiro walked by her friend.

"I wouldn't sit like that." Chihiro told her. "It's dangerous!" Rumi looked at her and patted the spot next to her.

"I'm fine. Sit down next to me." Chihiro shook her head. "Come on!" Chihiro shook her head again. Rumi grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. "Come on!"

"NO!" Rumi pulled her down and forced her to sit.

"See? You're fine." Chihiro saw that she was right.

"Wow! Why was I a baby?" Rumi shrugged.

"Don't know." The girls then burst out laughing.

Suddenly, Chihiro's pink shoe fell off and fell into the river. Both girls gasped and bolted to their feet.

"Oh no; my shoe!" Chihiro cried.

"What are we to do?" Rumi wanted to know.

"I gotta get it somehow." Rumi nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Chihiro lost her balance and fell off the bridge and into the river. The little girl screamed.

"CHIHIRO!" Rumi yelled. Frightened, she ran off to tell Chihiro's parents.

"Mr and Mrs. Ogino!" Rumi ran up to them, tears in her eyes. The parents looked at her.

"What is it, Rumi?" Yuko questioned. "What's wrong? Where's Chihiro?" Rumi pointed to the river, not being able to control her sobs.

"The river ate her!" Both parents gasped and ran towards the bridge

The strong current pulled Chihiro further down the river. Chihiro was so scared that she was going to drown. She went above and below the surface. When she was above the surface, she screamed the entire way.

She saw her shoe when she was in the water again. She tried her very best to retrieve it, but she couldn't.

She then felt something beneath her. She looked. She was riding a creature of some sort. But was it a dragon? Was it Haku? Chihiro just wasn't sure.

Moments later, Chihiro found herself lying on a bank. She was soaking wet. She was confused about how she got there, but was just glad that she was alive. She looked around and saw a white dragon with a teal and green mane.

"Haku?" She asked. She then saw her pink shoe in Haku's mouth. "Hey, my shoe!" She stood to her feet and ran to Haku. Haku dropped the shoe into her little hands that she offered out to him. She smiled and bowed to Haku. "Thanks very much Haku! Was it you that saved me from drowning?"

Suddenly, Chihiro heard her mom and dad calling for her. Haku flew off.

"Haku, wait!" She cried. Her mom ran to her side.

"Chihiro, thank goodness you're safe!" She hugged her. "It's a miracle!" Chihiro looked at her.

"Mommy, I saw Haku! He was a dragon! I really did see him!"

"Well, I say that's too much for one day." Akio stated. "Let's go home." Yuko nodded and grabbed her hand.

"Come on, Chihiro. Time to go home."

"But I saw him, Mommy! Haku, I really did!"

"Of course you did, dear. He's the river that you fell into and we need to clean you up."

"But…But…" But her mom didn't respond. She and her daughter just walked off away from the rushing river. Chihiro looked behind at the river again.

Did she really see Haku? Deep in her heart, she believed that she did. Will she see Haku again? She didn't know. But she knew that it was him that saved her life.