𝕋ℍ𝔼 ℂ𝕆𝕃𝕃𝔼ℂ𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ

Spirits 1/4

A/N: I'm back!!! I was gonna post over the weekend but caught some sort of really nasty stomach bug but I'm back now!! This chapter is based off of chapter 11/24 from my book Counting Down. Just like the original story, this one is heavily based off of Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away.

It was strange to walk around a town that seemed completely abandoned, yet nothing looked deteriorated. The buildings looked in perfect condition and restaurants with booths full of steaming food lined every street. 

Despite all of that, since you, your parents and siblings had arrived, you'd seen no one. It had been eerily silent, and clearly something was very off here. Despite that, your parents and siblings had laughed it off, easily plopping down at one of the many booths full of food.

You had decided to wander a little, despite the creepy feeling of being watched. You held your backpack, which contained your sketchbook, art supplies, and a snack or two, close to yourself as you skeptically watched every restaurant. There were no workers, customers or anything in between.

The thought was so unsettling that you unconsciously drifted towards the edge of the restaurant district, where you stumbled across a road leading to a large, traditional bath house. Deciding not to wander too far, and still unsettled by the emptiness of it all, you settled down on a large rock beside the path.

From your backpack you withdrew your sketchbook and pencils, deciding to try and draw the majestic bath house. You forced away the lingering anxiety and put your pencil to paper. After all, you probably wouldn't get halfway through your sketch before you heard your parents calling for you and you wanted to remember this.

You melted into your work, focusing only on the page in front of you. You had just finished the bare outline of the sketch and were about to start on the finer details when someone cleared their throat beside you.

You jumped, whirling around to see a boy. He looked a bit older than you, maybe 16 or 17? He was watching you from the path leading from the bath house. Despite looking like a pretty ordinary teenager, minus his clothes, something in your gut told you to be wary. As for his clothes, they resembled that of a worker at a bath house.

"You seem a little young to be on your own. Are you lost?" He asked. His voice was gentle and friendly but you just shook your head and went back to work. However, the boy didn't seem to get the hint as he didn't move on. 

"It would be wrong of me to leave a child all alone." He said, when you glanced back up at him.

"I'm not a child." You huffed, comparing your sketch to the building in front of you. The boy just grinned, plopping down on the grassy ground between you and the path.

"Sure, sure. So, 'not-a-child', what's your name?" He asked.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." You answered, getting a bit annoyed. Clearly the boy had no intention of leaving you alone. However, the unease you had felt at the isolation of this place, was starting to fade so you weren't entirely opposed to him staying there.

"Well, my name is Aspen. I live with my father and brother and our family owns the bath house." He said. He started talking about random things while you finished up the details on your sketch.

When you were finally happy with the sketch, you placed down your sketchbook and stood up to stretch. Aspen stared up at you from where he lay on the grass, watching as you dug around in your backpack. When you finally found the snack you had packed for yourself you joined him on the grass.

It became quickly clear that the grass was way more comfortable than the rock you'd been sitting on. The sun was warm but the breeze kept everything a perfect temperature. You opened your snack, pausing when you saw Aspen staring at you.

"Why would you go for that," he gestured at your snack. "When there's food all around? I'm sure you saw the restaurant district."

"I'm good." You said, enjoying your snack away from the emptiness of the food district. Even if the scent of the food still hung lightly in the air, it was too strange of a situation to feel comfortable. 

Your answer seemed to entrance the boy who tilted his head in curiosity. However, he quickly went back to his rambling as the both of you enjoyed the nice afternoon. Unfortunately, the peace wouldn't last forever...