One Summer's Day

It's All Apartments Now

I jolt awake tumbling out of my bed, falling on top of giant pillows and last night's homework. A pencil stabs me in the back. "Owwwww", I cry softly.

"Chihiro!", I hear my mother cry from downstairs. I ignore it and try to remember what just happened. I was dreaming. I remember all of it. The tunnel, the wind, the water.
That hand. That name. I've held that hand before. I've heard that name before.

"Chihiro", I hear again. But I just whisper to myself "it was a dream. It was a dream."
I whisper it over and over again, my mother keeps calling my name. I just keep whispering.

My mother pounds on my door. "CHIHIRO!"
"What!?", I scream back like the moody teenager I am.
"It's time for school!"
"No it's Sunday!"
"No. Monday!"
I dig through the pillows and find my phone. I turn it on and sure enough she's right.
"Shoot", I say. I run through the door pushing my mother back.
"Hey!", she calls.
"Sorry!", I yell back. But I'm already rushing down the stairs.

I grab the rice and a pair of chopsticks. "Maybe something more substantial?",  my father tells me. "No time", I say. I don't use the chopsticks. Just tilt the bowl back and finish it in two seconds flat. I go to the stairs to change but my father grabs my arm. "Hey you're bleeding."
"I fell on a pencil when I woke up. No big deal I gotta go."
"Here let me clean it."
"No time", I whine. But my father is already pulling me to the sink.
"Will you stop moving I can't put the bandage on."
He patches it up quickly and I bolt for the stairs. My mother barely dodges me as she comes down.
"Chihiro!", she yells completely annoyed.
"In a rush Mom!"
"That girl", I hear her say to Dad. He just chuckles.

Four years ago, when I was ten, we planned to move to a small city just outside of Tokyo. While driving there my father took a wrong turn and we ended up at an abandoned theme park. We looked around for a bit, but when we finally got to our new house, the movers weren't there. We called them and they claimed that we had shown up a week late. We thought they were crazy, so we went back to our old town where I grew up, and crashed with my friend Kira and her family until we were able to get a steady income and our own home.

I barely got through the day because I wouldn't stop thinking about that dream. Even now at my locker I keep wondering where I heard that name. Who's hand that was. I knew it all, but I couldn't remember.

My locker slams shut and I jump. It's Kira. I breathe out in relief. "Oh my god it's just you", I say.
"What did you think I was a kitsune?"
"Oh yeah. You're already a completely devious fox."
We both laugh as everyone else rushes past us to get to their next class.
"Hey do have fifth period free?", she asks.
"Mmhmm."
"Cool! Let's go for a walk. I found a neat pathway yesterday."
We walk out the front door arms linked.

There's a small cool breeze as we walk. The clouds make a beautiful and edgy design in the bold blue sky. This path is quite beautiful. The cherry blossoms in boom make it even more special.
"Did you think I was Stematu?", Kira asks me.
"Huh?"
"Back at your locker after 4th when I scared you. Did you think it was Stematu asking you to the big dance?", she says teasing me.
I punch her gently. "Will you shut up about him?", I scold her.
"You know it's just too obvious that you like him you know. And you're definitely going to the dance with him."
"No I'm not! He would never ask me."
"Give him time he will. And I know one day you will get married and have beautiful children just as nature intended, isn't that right Chihiro?

Chihiro?"

I've stopped in my tracks looking to my right. They're apartments. Red and tall. My family looked for apartments when we moved back, but I don't think we ever looked here.
"What is it?", Kira asks me. I stare for what feels like a long time before I answer her.
"Can we look around here for a minute?", I say.
"Sure I guess but there's not much to see. It's just apartments.
I say nothing and walk forward. Kira follows not far behind me.

I stop at the buildings and look all around. There's something too familiar about this place. Just like everything else today.

I see something catch my eye on the ground. I bend down to find soft sand. It glows with minerals.
"Kira", I say. "This used to be a river."
"Cool", she says. Clearly bored. But I ignore her and just keep feeling the sand. I run my fingers over the sand and grass until I poke my finger against something.

I pull out what looks like a small shell, but it's smooth and in the shape of a triangle.
"What's that?", Kira asks.
"I don't know", I say and hold it up to her.
"Huh, kinda looks like the scale of a dragon."

That answer hits me hard. A dragon. A river. A dragon and a river...I'm remembering something again. Why can't I put my finger on it. This is tearing me apart ugh!

"Oh my gosh Chihiro it's so late. We'll have to run let's go."
She grabs my arm and pulls me to the trail. I hold the scale tight in my palm, and never let go.