Spirited Away II: Return to the Spirit Realm

Chapter 9

A thin layer of frost covered the ground. The sun, still high in the sky, worked in vain to warm the chilly earth. Chihiro regretted her decision not to take her father's warm coat with her the moment she stepped out of the tunnel. She shivered from the cold wind, wrapping the cloak more tightly around her shoulders. The girl looked at the magnificent bathhouse, rising like a sky-scraper among all the other one-story restaurants, and a thought struck her that made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Wait - how am I to get to Granny's? I don't have any train tickets with me. How stupid I was, not to take them when Kamaji offered them to me! What will I do now?"

No train tickets was not the only problem Chihiro faced. She was hungry and tired and on top of that, began to feel under the weather already and would undoubtedly catch a cold soon if she continued to stand out in the open.

"Perhaps," she wondered, "I have enough money in my purse to get myself something to eat, or a better cloak. This one is just useless against this cold."

Chihiro opened her purse, praying to find at least something useful in there that might buy her something. Imagine her surprise when she found there, inside her purse, carefully tucked away Kamaji's train tickets! Chihiro picked up the tickets with delicate fingers, staring at them in disbelief. But how did they get here, she thought. It was then that the girl remembered her brief bye-bye to Lin and Kamaji before she left for Zeniba's.

Lin withdrew her hand from Chihiro's slightly open purse, smiling faintly to herself. "Who knows?" she murmured quietly. "You just might need it."

Chihiro arched her eyebrows at the statement. "Need what, Lin?" she have inquired.

Lin merely shrugged. "You'll find out later," she have replied.

"So THAT is what Lin meant!" Chihiro cried happily as she pressed the tickets against her shirt. "Thank you so much, Lin. You saved me ... again."

With new hope in her heart and courage pulsing her body, Chihiro ran down the narrow streets and didn't stop to regain her breath until she came to the train station. She placed her palms on her knees, breathed in and out heavily, feeling beads of sweat form on her forehead.

The train zipped across the icy water and stopped shortly at its station. The doors opened and a shadow spirit outstretched his hand. Chihiro tore out one ticket from the four and dropped it into the spirit's palm. With a small smile, the spirit grinded the ticket and dropped the remains into a purse and stepped aside, gesturing for Chihiro to come in. "Thank you," she murmured and boarded the train.

Chihiro was so happy to be on that train that she completely forgot about her hunger. She simply wrapped the cloak more tightly around herself and sat down on the bench, her face soft and thoughtful as she stared out the window. Chihiro could make out faint roars and growls, that, she guessed, were made by the monsters that escaped the Abyss. The train, as Chihiro saw, was basically completely deserted of passengers.

I will come, Granny, the girl thought as she stared out the window. I have a feeling something huge is awaiting me; and whatever it is, I will embrace it with open arms.

A totally different chain of events were happening at the Imperial Palace. The Lady looked pale and tired from lack of sleep. She stood up from her golden throne and beckoned Haku to follow her. "Come," she murmured. "There's something I want to show you."

"Yes, my Lady," Haku murmured in reply and obediently followed her down the halls. The Lady descended a set of stairs and came to the very bottom floor. Spider webs were in the wall's corners; thick layers of dust covered the tables, the untouched candle sticks, and the portraits hanging on the walls. The hallway was dark and empty. The Lady grabbed a torch and came to a large, wooden door. She looked around and when she saw that nobody was in sight, pushed the door open.