Spirited Away - A New Age

The Shortcut

Hello!

I'm going to keep this intro short and sweet so we can get to Chihiro's tale!

I'm SeaofYears, I've been writing for ages but never had the guts to post my work. So here I am, trying to step out of my comfort zone. This story has been floating around in my brain for so long and when I last watched Spirited Away, I couldn't shake it this time. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I've been enjoying writing it.

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"I'll miss you Chihiro. Your best friend, Lilly."

"Chihiro...? Chihiro, we're almost there."

My father's voice comes from the front seat, attempting to prod me to look up from the pink flowers Lilly had gotten for me. I'd been alternating between staring at them sullenly and staring blankly out the window.

Lilly is my best friend back home. Her and I have been thick as thieves since we were in diapers. Everything we did, we did together. But now I was moving three hours away. There may as well as have been an ocean separating me from my old life.

Sighing, I tune into my parent's conversation.

"Wow, this really is in the middle of nowhere." Even without looking at her, I know my mother has her brow furrowed with worry. "I'm gonna have to go to the next town to shop."

"We'll just have to learn to like it." Dad sounds unsure, but hopeful. I know he's been stressed with the move but has been excited about this new job opportunity.

"Look, Chihiro, there's your new school. Looks great, doesn't it?" He's been gently urging me to join the conversation for most of the car ride, and while I appreciate his concern, the lump in my throat wasn't quite ready to let me speak.

I was diagnosed with anxiety when I was six and having some semblance of control and order in my life is how I get out of bed every day. It's been twelve years. Twelve long years. Every moment of peace is a moment I've planned for. When my room is sparkling and my books are neatly organized by color, and then alphabetically, I can take a moment to breathe.

When I wake up at 7:15am on the dot, I can pause for another breath before getting up to start my day. Moving three hours away from where I grew up to a big, fat, question mark of a town was NOT part of the plan.

"It doesn't look so bad." Mom chimed in helpfully, pulling me from my dreary thoughts.

Grudgingly, I lean over to the window and look at my new college. Yep. There it is in all its glory. A was a plain concrete building with a fading sign marking it as Sakura Institute.

Lovely.

Rolling my eyes, I look back down to my flowers. They were such a lovely shade of pink but they were starting to wilt from the long drive. Swallowing a few times to dislodge the lump in my throat, I whisper a small, "It looks great."

Way to go, Chihiro. You sound like a sad pancake.

Frustrated, I clear my throat and try again and croak, "What box are the vases in? I need to put my flowers in some water when we get there."

"We'll find you a vase." My mom says. "Don't worry, honey. Now hold onto your card. I'm opening the window. And try to be positive. It's fun to move to a new place. It's an adventure." She says this last part enthusiastically. Like I haven't heard her and dad talking about how they're going to afford living in the city, even with dad's new position.

The wind blows my long brown hair back and I turn my face to the fresh breeze. It's a nice day at least. Taking a deep breath, I settle back into my seat as the car goes quiet. Fifteen minutes later, I'm jolted out of my thoughts when the car starts to shake. Looking out the window I see that we're stopped on a dirt road. Not ordinarily something I would be alarmed about but it was what was on the edge of the road that sends a weird sensation through my limbs.