Return to the River

Chapter 2

After only twenty minutes and six pieces of takoyaki each, all four of us started to get full. In the end, we decided to just pass the time walking past all of the different stalls. They always had stalls with handmade bracelets and trinkets to buy and give to your friends and family or even charms to keep for good luck and fortune for the future. My mom has a couple charms she keeps on her bedside table because she believes that we'll have good lives if we have them. So far I'd say they work pretty well.

"Hey Chihiro, what do you think of this bracelet? I don't know about the dragon, but the bracelet itself is nice," Hana said to me. I looked over at her wrist and saw the colorful Japanese cord bracelet she wore, but the charm connected almost made me fall backwards from shock. Images were coming into my head. They weren't completely visible, but they weren't as blurry as they were in the dream. I'd seen a dragon shaped almost exactly like that on the bracelet. The problem was I didn't know where or why.

"Chihiro, you okay?" Sora asked worriedly.

"Uh...Yeah. I'm...I'm fine I just....saw a moth and freaked out a little," I lied.

"Ok? Well, I'm sure it's gone now, but you still haven't answered my question," Hana said accusatorily. 

"Oh right! It's a nice bracelet, Hana. You should get it," I said honestly.

"Hmm...You put it on," She said pushing the bracelet off her wrist. "Maybe it'll look better on you than it does on me." She took my hand and carefully put bracelet around my wrist. To be honest, it did look nice. The cords were a pretty combination of blues and the silver dragon charm was connected to it. I looked at the snake-like dragon hoping it would spark some more memories, but nothing was happening.

"There. See? That looks nice. I'm gonna get it for you," Hana said.

"No, Hana you don't have to do that," I said trying to stop her.

"Oh stop. It's not that much. Consider it my going-away gift to you," She replied with a wink. I sighed in exasperation, but smiled at her kindness. I really was going to miss all three of them. It reminds me of when I first moved from the town I was born in to the town we're in now eight years ago. Tomorrow, it'll be time to start a new life again. The first time I get a bracelet from a friend, and it's a goodbye present. That's depressing.

"Thanks, Hana." After we finished at the stalls, we thought it was time to start heading back home. So, we head back to the car with our little trinkets and Hana started the car.

"Well, that was fun guys. I'm gonna miss doing this," Mizuki said sadly in the backseat.

"We're not done yet. I got one more stop for us to go to before the night is over," Hana said slyly.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Give it a few minutes." All three of us succumbed to Hana's plan and after a twenty minute nap, she parked us along an empty curb next to what looked like an open field. "We're here!"

"Where exactly is here?" Sora asked as the four of us got out of the car.

"I used to come to this river all of the time when I was a kid. They're planning to put some houses here and fill it up while we're in college, so I thought maybe the four of us could visit it while it's still here," Hana explained. The four of us slowly moved down the hill to get closer to the river, and we watched in silence as the moon light shined softly on the water below. 

I watched as the water began to glisten in the night and leaned down to put my hand in the water, but as I moved my hand through the stream, my mind left the present and the images started coming back again. And this time, a voice came with it.

"I fell in. I thought I'd drown, but the water carried me to shore. It finally came back to me," The familiar voice said. It sounded like a little girl's voice. Why does all of this seem so familiar?

"You did it _!....I remember....Why I can't find my way home....I remember your little pink shoe," A boys voice was saying. Who was he?

"I knew you were good!" The little girl exclaimed. They were falling and...holding hands. But I couldn't see their faces. Who are these people?!

I woke up from whatever was playing in my mind and immediately moved away from the water. My anxiety was building. 

What is going on?!

"Chihiro, what's wrong?" Mizuki asked. 

"Um...Sorry I...saw a bug in the water," I said unconvincingly. 

"What is going on with you? You've been acting weird all night," Sora said.

"I'm okay. Just had a rough nap earlier. I'll be fine." My friends were obviously not convinced, but they let it go in the end. I was glad they didn't ask anymore. If I told them anything they wouldn't have believed me. I don't think I would've believed me either.