S P I R I T E D A W A Y 2

Chapter 1- Returning to Disbelief

A long 2920 days passed.

After the departure of Spirit World, normal life progressed very slowly. Within the short period of time Chihiro and her family spent within Spirit World, 8 long years passed. When they arrived at their house, cobwebs, mail, and flyers all fenced their old blue chipped painted house.

“Why does it look so old? It looked so different in the inspection, are you sure it’s the right house?” Chihiro’s mother said.

They wondered around the front yard. Her father picked up a flyer from the dusty doorstep.

It read; “FAMILY OF THREE GONE MISSING FOR 8 YEARS. INFORMATION REWARD $500.”

There, Chihiro’s dad stood frozen anxiously looking at his portrait facing him on the page.

“What on earth is this?!” He shrieked

Chihiro and her mum both turned and faced him.

“What is it Honey?” His wife joining him in disbelief as she read the flyer assumed, “Probably just a joke, like what happened to the car…” She slowed down her speech as she started to anxiously wonder why everything had seemed to match up.

“What is it mom?”  Chihiro asked.

Her mom quickly grabbed the paper from her dad’s hands and hid it behind her back as Chihiro walk towards her.

“It’s just those silly bargain flyers.” Her dad glared at Chihiro’s mum as she said this. “Let’s go inside now.”

“Okay.” Chihiro replied. She started to wonder about Haku. ‘Was he doing well?’ ‘Did he end his contract with Yubaba?’ She could only imagine what might have happened to him.

As the family walked into their ‘new’ home, they saw a thin layer of dust covering everything.

“Chihiro, go to your room and unpack.” Her mother ordered.

As Chihiro entered her room, she found boxes marked ‘Chihiro’ and dragged them to her room. Everything was neatly placed; she dusted her bed and lay down.

“I wonder what’s up with mum. I wonder if Haku is okay. Why does it feel like it was so long ago? I feel weird.” She closed her eyes and fell asleep. She was awoken to crying. She crept down slowly to her mum and dad quietly arguing.

Her mum was in tears; “I don’t get it, we spent a few hours there, and now that we come back its been 8 years?! We can’t tell Chihiro this. Find her a new school. And contact every body. If they ask tell them we went abroad. I’ll go to the midnight markets in the next town to go shopping.”

Chihiro shrieked, and ran upstairs in a hurry. She hid behind the wall and took deep breaths. Her mum left.

She opened up her laptop. Frozen, as she looked at the year: 24 March 2010.

“What, but its supposed to be 2002,” She said, “How is that possible? I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming.” She was hitting her head with panic.

“I need to go back, I need to see Haku.” She quickly unpacked the boxed. She hurriedly tipped over the first box she came across. She grabbed a new change of clothes, a calendar and stuffed in into a small backpack. She waited until the next day early in the morning. Both parents were asleep.

She carefully tip toed down the hallway, and ran down stairs, and took the spare keys that sat on the kitchen table. She looked for a back door and went out locking it as she left. She opened the back gate and quickly ran past the front yard. Going down the familiar road passing the shrines.