2022 Prompts Etc.

Bride of the Underworld

I had agreed to go with Chihiro on a tour of the tiny islands known as the Yomi simply because she was so set on it. She loved the family legend of the Bride of the Underworld making herself seen from one of the islands. She was a fan of impossible stories like that. She was always the one in our family to bring up myths and lore. I was always the one to be worried about where my next cup of coffee was going to come from.

The morning of our boat ride, Chihiro had been so eager that she didn't let me sleep past six.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I muttered as the captain of the tiny floating vessel came to confirm with Chihiro that we were ready.

"You're only saying that because you haven't had your coffee," she replied with a grin. I lowered my head down to the railing and groaned, telling myself she was right.

My mind wasn't at its best that morning, but even as I stretched across to step into the boat, I could have sworn I saw shadows leap across with me. Gasping, I grabbed a tight hold of the rail of the boat and leaned over. The captain started yelling at me in a language I had only ever learned how to order food in. Chihiro came over to pull me back.

"Are you going to be sick?"

"No, I thought I saw something in the water."

"Like a fish?" She laughed. "Come on, Sofie, it's the ocean."

I stared into the mist, but something out of the corner of my eye grabbed my attention. Turning my head ever so slightly, I saw the shadows again. There were at least half a dozen hovering near Chihiro. Startled, I fully faced her, only to have the shadows vanish. She noticed me staring at her. "What? You're looking at me like you've seen a ghost."

"It's just...never mind. It must just be a lack of coffee."

As the sun finally rose, it burned off most of the cover around us, leaving us with a breathtaking view of lush, tiny islands all clustered into one harbor. The captain took us to one of the largest, where there was a tiny wooden dock. This time, I let myself be led off without looking for ghosts or gremlins.

"Isn't this amazing, Sofie? It's so peaceful. Come on, I packed food, we should have a picnic!"

Chihiro lead the way as we explored the island. It was small enough, it didn't take that long, but all the same, I was starving when we sat back down. The late summer sun beat down on us, and soon enough I was drifting off - full and at peace. Surrounded by the gentle lap of the sea on the shore and the birds above, it was the most perfect moment of our trip back home.

After an eternity of relaxation, my dry mouth brought me back to reality. Sitting up, I shielded my face from the sun. Chihiro was no longer beside me. My brain was still sluggish as I got to my feet, but logic told me to check the boat.

The boat was gone.

Panic started to tap at the back of my mind. I brushed it aside. There had to be a reasonable explanation. The picnic basket was gone too. Was I even still on the same island?

Turning in circles, I searched for the cry of the sea birds, but they were missing as well. Maybe this was just a dream? Trying my best not to give in to the panic attack welling inside me, I spun around again, desperate to find something to hold onto. Tiny little black dots scattered across the sand beside me. Coming to a complete halt, I crouched down next to the closest one. It scurried up into my palm, blinking eyes nearly the size it was.

"Did you see where Chihiro went?" I asked it. It nodded, and dropped back down to the sand with the rest. "Oh, you want me to follow?" I did as they directed, until coming to the edge of the forest. A black hole gaped from between two trees. There was no light beyond it, but the little black shadows were chirping at me. With a giant gulp, I took a fateful step into the unknown.