Spirited away

Chapter 3

Someone shakes my shoulder gently, waking me up. I tentatively open one eye only to close it again.

The headache, fuelled by the light, does not go away. Something bony is stuck in my lower abdomen and my forehead, laying on a cold surface, is abnormally swollen. My muscles are sore lumps, stiff from aches and pains. My joints turn reluctantly with a crunchy feel to them, as if greased with sand.

I sigh, eyes still closed. The gentle shake comes again.

Morning drowsiness is so comfortable, when you can roll and relish in it. It is but a few precious moments. You don't remember your problems, nor your late homework nor your personal disasters from the day before. Not yet.

Then sleep spits you out completely. Your inner peace is extinguished by a cold shower of panic.

The circumstances of my loss of consciousness come back in a rush. I try to stand too studently and in response the floor starts to spin. I wobble, but the same hold from the wake up shake keep me seated.

The scenery stops its waltz, I allow myself a careful visual intake of the situation. The wagon is silent, most of the passengers conspicuous by their absence.

A discreet snore makes me look down. My poorly padded futon was none other than Hinami, who was breathing steadily, her features soothed. Her elbow was digging into my ribs...

I am gently pushed away from her. My gaze rests on the hands that support me, frail on their equally small white arms. I turn around completely. A boy, about ten, is facing me. His half-length hair falls over his white tunic. Under his straight fringes, his pale eyes smile at me. His right iris is a rich dark brown in which the pupil drowns. It radiates a comforting warmth. It shines with benevolence and simplicity. The left is a striking, mysterious green. The light reflections gives it a wild glow. On one side his features are delicately outlined, seem quite real. The other half appears swallowed by shadows, hiding him behind an enigmatic mask. The contrast is such that his face is split, inhabited by two different entities. His body is enveloped in a pure white aura, which I know well. His smile widens when I question him, doubtful:

- Shiro?

A calm, smooth voice answers me; answers me at last, after five years of mimes and silences:

- Chihiro-nee

I put my hand to my neck, the stone is no longer there. The boy opens the cloth of his tunic and reveals the top of his torso. The pearl is set in his skin, probably in the bone, just above his heart. I stare at it for a moment, not daring to touch. He crosses the fabric again and throws himself at me.

My arms hesitate. Then a wave of happiness overtakes me and I respond to the embrace. Swollen tears of joy bead in my eyes and blur my vision. His light laughter echoes mine. Our emotions respond to each other splashing bright colours in our minds.
He pulls away, crushing his tears in his fists. I let mine flow, a little overwhelmed by his feelings. A snore from Hinami brings us back down to Earth. I look at her, hesitating to wake her up right away. Shiro moves away from me, sit down in front of her relaxed body, interrogates me with a look.

I loosen my limbs, change my position. The daylight projects large rectangular shapes in the metal compartment. It soften the lines of the enclosed space. I wipe my cheeks, then shake the sleeping girl.
She grunts, rolls over onto her stomach. She expresses the same willingness to get up as any other day of the year. I insist, until finally her eyelids flutter. She sits up with difficulty. The futon wasn't comfortable for her either.

- Hiro-chan, what...

She opens her eyes wide, puts her hand to the back of her aching head.

-What the hell happened?