Entering the World of Spirits

Awake in Wonderland

The air smelled of nothing, like pollution didn't exist (which I'm sure it had to). The sky was blue and clear and I noticed a pathway leading to-there it was, the stream!

My heart clambered to my throat as I began to cry. It wasn't that I was sad or that it was too much to handle, I had always had a suspicion that this place existed. It was the fact that I was allowed into this beautiful world and my mother wasn't. Did she even remember being here? Other than her book of course. My head swam. I recalled the first chapter; I had to get across the stream and over the bridge. I also remembered the story of people turning into pigs. I shouldn't eat anything. Then again...the only reason she had been able to stay here, in the story that is, was by eating some of the spirits food.

I juggled with compromises and irrational fears until I had made my way successfully to the bridge. What was it that the book had said? Hold your breath or they will know you're human. No one seemed to be here. I stepped one foot on the bridge, not caring as I let breath slide from my lungs as easily as it had before. Nothing happened. I sped across and crossed my fingers that this place wasn't just an abandoned theme park.

My eyes landed on a figure in the shadows. It seemed familiar for some reason, the height and the way their eyes caught the light when they started to walk forward. Then they hesitated, turned back and-disappeared. It was then that I realized the sun was going down. If the story was real that meant that the spirits would be arriving and that I couldn't leave. I began to panic when I remembered that I was alone.

My feet carried me to the nearest hiding spot, careful as to not to be seen by anyone who might be there already. I focused on each chapter of the story, every page filing through my brain at 100 miles per hour. I grabbed at the imaginary handle on my newly forming migraine. My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden urge to leave. Someone must have been coming because my body forced itself to stand up and speed walk through a tiny door and toward what I was assuming were stairs. It was the only option.

I felt heavy. Each limb was being dragged down  by a drowsiness I couldn't fight off. Had I eaten any of the food? No, I had forgotten all about that. I remembered what my mother had written, about her legs feeling like lead, not being able to move without help. It was a moment of silence and me wishing for the boy in my bedtime story that brought upon more tears. These were for myself.

As I sat there crying, I felt a hand push gently on my shoulder. I wished for it to be my mother telling me it was time to wake up, that breakfast was ready. No such luck. Instead, it was a boy, one I had seen before in a dream. One who had known my mother's name.

"I met her this way too." He whispered softly to me. This just made me crinkle up my nose and let loose a few more tears. He cradled my shoulder in his hand awkwardly before pulling back. When his hand came toward me again it was holding a small piece of fruit. Or at least what looked like fruit. I took it gently and smelled it, a bad habit of mine.

He laughed and told me to eat it, which I did. I felt the numbness creeping away from my body, lips quivering still ever so slightly when I stood.

"You're Haku, right?"

He looked a little surprised. "You knew my name that day I saw you. How? When she left, Chihiro was supposed to forget about this place."

I felt hurt on my mother behalf. "She wrote stories about this world. I'm not so sure she believes that they are real, though."

He nodded sadly. "When I was searching for her I found you." He absentmindedly swept a hair from my cheek, causing a permanent blush to plaster itself upon my face. "You look so much like her...she married?"

I shook my head, wondering why I would even bother giving information like that to a stranger. " I don't know who my father is. But I hate him." It was pure disgust that filled my lungs as I huffed out a breath into the now dark sky. Haku raised his eyebrow at me, then lowered it when he realized I had seen.

"You need to find someplace to stay, or work. If you don't-"

"I won't be able to stay here, I know."

He smiled softly at me. "I can take you to Zeniba, she'll understand. Maybe she will let you stay without a price."

I almost nodded before shooting him a questioning glance. "I thought Yubaba ran the bathhouse."

"Yubaba was asked to leave after Chihiro faced her trial and left. She was always unfit to run this place. Her twin sister Zeniba took over, and it's been much better here since."

He took my arm and led me to the base of the stairs, each step scaring me more and more. I kept telling myself that I wasn't afraid of heights, but it didn't work. When we reached the door at the bottom, his hand slipped into mine and he pulled us inside. From the looks of it, this was the boiler room. We walked until we reached the edge of the platform, dipping into a room full of heat and tiny black orbs that I remembered were called soot sprites. Haku sped past a man who appeared to have several limbs; Kamaji. I remained attached to Haku as we entered another room through a small door.

"Wait!" I stopped, tugging at my shoes. I set them neatly as the base of the door, hoping I'd see them again. We continued through the spacious area until we reached an elevator. I marveled at the sight; spirits of different shapes and sizes roamed the halls nonchalantly, some stopping to stare at me. I pulled myself closer to Haku, the boy I had just met who felt a hell of a lot safer than the eyes that poked and prodded through my shell.

"It's alright. You're with me, they can't do anything."

We slipped inside an elevator and he pushed the lever, sending us spiraling upward. My head was still screaming at me, I didn't know it yet, but it would be screaming until I eventually fell asleep.

Once at the top, he grabbed my arm again and we glided into a beautiful hallway. I traced over words in my mind, each one describing the hall perfectly. When I laid my eyes on the door knocker I almost screeched in surprise as it moved of its own accord. So maybe mom had left out a few details.

"Welcome back Master Haku." The door creaked open to  reveal yet another stunning room. This one, however, contained a rather short and plump woman. I say short in comparison to her width. Overall she was a very large woman, complete with an also very large head and nose. Her eyes twinkled in the light, breathing me in with every flicker of movement I made.

"So this is the girl you've been obsessing over. My, my, you look so much like Chihiro."

I choked on my next words. "Gra-Granny?" This made her laugh tremendously.

"Oh, my dear, I see you've got the same soul as our dear Chihiro. What's your name?"

I told her with as much confidence as I could muster, "Kaharu" and slipped back into my state of embarrassment.

"Well, Kaharu, that's a very pretty name." That struck me as familiar but I said nothing. "We currently don't have anywhere for you to stay...but as I am not Yubaba I won't force you to leave. I suppose we could-"

Haku stepper forward. "I'll arrange for a room."

Zeniba-or granny, as she had been called in the story- smiled sweetly at him. "Of course, Haku. You take care of our special guest." She winked at me. "If you need anything don't be afraid to ask."

And with that final note, Haku whipped me around and carried us to our next destination: my new room.