A Chase Through Worlds

The hairs on the back of Chihiro's neck stood on end and goosebumps rose on her arms. Eyes seemed to watch her as she hurried her way home from school. A squawk came from above and she glanced up. She gawked.

Does that bird have a human face? Suddenly it dived down and darted straight for Chihiro. She fell to the ground as it landed on her head and started pecking at her. She tried to smack the bird off, but only ended up yelping in pain as it tore at her hair and scratched her arms.

The bird went as quick as it came. Chihiro picked herself up off the street and it was only when she rubbed the back of her aching head that she noticed that chestnut brown hair fell in soft waves along the side of her face and down her back.

"My hair tie!" She spotted a black blob in the distance and she chased after it down the narrow street. She bumped into an old woman carrying groceries, helped the glaring grandmother pick up leeks, and bowed in apology before continuing on with her pursuit.

"Give it back, you stupid bird!"

Years of track and field helped her quickly catch up. The assailant tilted left onto a small dirt road and Chihiro had to swiftly change directions. She saw a flash of blue in the corner of her eye. Her house.

Why do I feel like I won't be seeing it again for a long while?

And then the blue was gone and she was brushing past overgrown vegetation that reached her bare knees. Multiple little stone buildings lined the path. She thought she heard her mother's voice.

They're shrines.

Impossible. She continued on passed the gods' homes. Branches reached down like clawed fingers, blocking the path. She cleared them away and entered a clearing. She had lost sight of the thief.

"Dammit!"

She put her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. A red gate with a green roof stood in front of her that stretched left and right as far as she could see before her sight was obscured by trees. That was the only way the bird could have gone.

A stone statue was placed a couple of feet from the entrance. Its hands, raised in greeting, had been worn by age and a great smile stretched across its whole face. Its shrewd eyes bore into her. She made a face at the creepy totem as she passed and made her way through the tunnel entrance.

But an entrance to what?

Rummaging through her school bag, she took her smart phone out and turned on the flashlight. Despite the brightness, after a couple of yards the darkness swallowed the light. It took a couple of minutes before she was met with an open room. Ornate stone benches, chairs, and pillars were scattered among colored leaves.

"Autumnal leaves in the spring?" Chihiro questioned to no one in particular.

Every pillar was decorated with the images of vines, trees, flowers, and figurines. She studied a pillar that hosted two painted birds. One was shrouded in black with an army of jagged lines behind it and the other emitted a white radiance with colorful swirls bleeding into the white.

After further inspection of the room she noticed that even though there was an absence of tracks she was undoubtedly in an abandoned train station. The beating of wings reverberated against the walls. She flashed her phone in the direction she thought it had come from and three gaping holes stared back at her.

A breeze came through the left one. The stench of animals and manure invaded her nose. Energetic bleats could just barely be heard. Another gust came, but this time from the middle shaft. This one was filled with honey and warm stuff. The soft whispers of a song drifted through the darkness. It reminded her of home. Not the blue house, but her home from six years ago, before moved and before the incident.