Spirited Away: The Wait [ORIGINAL]

Forgotten Stranger

“Promise me you'll never forget me because if I thought you would, I'd never leave.” 
-A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

     A man lay sprawled out on the fresh green grass, enjoying the smell of fresh dew on the soft, green blades. He inhaled deeply and gazed at the sunrise lying on the far end of the horizon, deep in thought. The weather was good and Mother Nature seemed to be in a good mood, with all the birds singing cheerfully and fishes swimming freely in the water, enjoying the simplicity and freedom in life.

     “It’s a beautiful day again,” he murmured quietly. His mind went over a lot of things: the shelter, the spirits back there and how his friends back in the bathhouse were doing. Hopefully Kamaji was coping well; he’d complained of sores all over his body the previous time they’d met. It seemed his age was finally catching up with his body that had slaved for Yubaba for too long now.

     Then there were the yunas who’d flirt with him no matter how cold he was to them. They just couldn’t take a hint, or perhaps they were simply too stupid to read social cues. Lin had called them mindless bimbos once and he had to admit, that was one of the only points he agreed with her on. It was going to be another rough battle trying to avoid them again later.

     And, of course, there was Lin. He groaned internally. Every visit he made to the bathhouse was practically asking for a headache. Lin always had a reason to complain about the bathhouse. It was either Chichiyaku or some other bimbo yuna, or it would be Aniyaku or some ‘man-whore’ customer or worker.

     He sighed again, thinking back to the shelter and his work. It was his break from work, and he hoped there wouldn’t be any special circumstances to make him have to cut his precious rest time short. As for the shelter, he’d left Shou in charge. If there was any emergency, he’d be contacted by Shou but hopefully everything would be alright. Nothing out of the ordinary had come up the past couple of weeks, and it would be preferable for it to stay that way.

     The gentle breeze played with his hair and with his eyelids closed, he was close to dozing off. It was so comfortable; he was reluctant to open his eyes although he couldn’t afford to be late and he didn’t even want to imagine what Lin would do to him if he was. Not like she could do anything anyway. He overpowered her easily.

     Clearing his mind of all thoughts, he adjusted his position on the grass. It was time to rest, after all, and not to think about stuff anymore. His ears perked up at the sounds of nature, listening out to the prominent chirping of birds.

     However, as the minutes passed and as he listened more intently, they soon morphed into terrifying screeches that grew louder and louder. He cringed internally and tried to move, but it was as if his body was paralyzed and glued to the ground firmly. He struggled and struggled, but to no avail. The never-ending darkness was also getting to him, seeing that he could not open his eyes. All he had were his ears and nose to figure out what in the world was going on.

     ‘Look out!’

     The sound of a whip was heard as it landed hard on the fragile surface of the woman’s skin, tearing it open mercilessly. Blood gushed out instantly, but it was mixed with a light green liquid that oozed out along with it gruesomely. Her expression was of pure terror and pain.

     A thousand things raced through his mind, the memories and times they’d shared. And yet, before him, was the same person whom he did not want to live without, who just protected him for the last time. She smiled weakly at him before she lost her strength and slumped against him. His eyes, filled with shock, before long, brimmed with tears.